


The King’s Obligation

by ImADissapointment



Series: The King's Obligation [2]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Dream Team - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Cuddling & Snuggling, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, God hates me, Happy Ending, How does one use a03 tags, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Masked knight, Mutual Pining, Near Death Experiences, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other implied ships - Freeform, Pining, Romance, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, be gay do crime, i hate myself for writing this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:47:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 40,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28093401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImADissapointment/pseuds/ImADissapointment
Summary: George is appointed as the king of L'manburg after his parents' unexpected death. As he grows to fill the role forced upon him he also grows closer to his dear friend and appointed knight, Dream. However, what will become of two when a very well-kept and hidden secret of Dream's is revealed. And what will become of George when someone threatens his life from the shadows.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: The King's Obligation [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2104173
Comments: 42
Kudos: 241





	1. Weight and Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He brings his hands up to his crown once more, dragging it down to look at. It reflects his face, showing the hollowness of his rich brown eyes. It’s a piece of clothing that carries much weight and responsibility, a responsibility our young ruler could never fully prepare for or one he wanted.

__________PART 1___________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A breeze blows by the king’s face, causing his cheeks to redden from the sting of the early winter weather. It’s mid-day and all is good in the land as the king stares out from his castle balcony. However, all does not sit right with our young, strapping king. There’s a sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach, pulling his posture into a slouch. His eyes carry heavy bags under them from stress. Our young ruler swears he’s developing wrinkles already and he’s not even thirty. The stress of being a king is certainly one that can age more than just your appearance. 

Our king reaches his hands up, his fingers running through his nicely combed, brown hair. His hands grasp onto his crown. He pulls in down so it’s in view. Twirling it around in his fingers, the sun catches the gold, causing small rays of light to shoot back. A loud, audible sigh escapes the king’s mouth. He brings the crown to touch his forehead, closing his eyes upon the impact. “Oh, mom and dad,” He mumbles. 

“Why’d you have to leave me?” 

There’s a brief pause for silence before it is rudely interrupted.  
“Why’d who have to leave you?”

The king jumps, startled by the unexpected person speaking. Quickly turning around on his leather boot heel, the king finds the intruder to his thoughts. A tall man, covered fully in armor leans against the entranceway to the castle. There is nothing to give away the man’s physical appearance other than that he stands at around 6’3 and his build is stocky. A silver helmet covers his head, obscuring his face. While our king can’t see his face he can feel his expression, it is an expression of amusement mixed with teasing. The king rolls his eyes dramatically, placing the crown back on his head. “It’s nothing,”  
He crosses his arms, putting some weight in his hip to lean on. “Dream, how long have you been standing there?” 

The knight, now who we know as Dream steps away from the wall. He straightens his back to make himself look taller than he already is. Taking a step forward as he speaks. “For as long as you’ve been here, I mean,” 

Dream is now only mere feet away from the king. He bends down slightly to stare him in the face. “ I am your personal knight, I’m not exactly allowed to leave your side, it’s my job to protect you after all.” 

Our king rolls his eyes once more, the position his knight is in feels rather mocking and almost degrading to him. He turns his head away. “Yes, of course,” 

Panning his eyes back, looking over at the man square in the eye (well, he’s really just looking at his helmet but you understand what I mean). “I know that, but must you always be so condescending?”  
The king flicks his knight's helmet causing Dream to jolt back ever so slightly. He stands up straight. “What can I say? You’re fun to tease.” 

The king scoffs with a chuckle. “You know, you’re lucky I put up with you.” 

Dream crosses his arms with swagger and inquiry. “Oh, how so?” 

Our king tilts his head back almost entirely, looking up at his friend. God, he wished he wasn’t so short. He places a finger on the man’s silver chest plate, accented with green. “Any other king wouldn’t put up with your smartassery, they’d order to have your head on a platter by now.” 

Dream chuckles at these words. “Perhaps, but you do put up with me, don’t you?” 

The king removes his finger, turning around as he speaks. “Regrettably, yes.” 

He makes his way back over to the balcony railing. Placing his pale, smooth hands over it as he continues to gaze out at the world. The smile on his face slowly turns into a frown, bringing out his dark eyebags once more. “I can’t imagine this is easy, is it?” 

The king looks to his left. Back leaned against the edge, arms resting on the railing is Dream. The king sighs. “Yeah, I mean. It was all kinda sprung on me at once.” 

He brings his hands up to his crown once more, dragging it down to look at. It reflects his face, showing the hollowness of his rich brown eyes. It’s a piece of clothing that carries much weight and responsibility, a responsibility our young ruler could never fully prepare for or one he wanted. “Plus, His Royal Highness, King George Henry Davidson seriously doesn’t sound right.” 

“Yea, doesn’t quite roll off the tongue well does it?” Dream jokes. 

George smiles weakly. “Yeah, it really doesn’t, does it?” 

There’s a long, awkward pause of silence before anyone says a word. “I’m sure you’ll make a fantastic king.” Dream says.  
George looks over at him. “You sure?” 

Dream stands up, walking over to his friend, and placing a strong, sturdy hand on his shoulder. His voice is strong but there’s a softness to his words. “I know you will.” 

George relaxes his shoulders a bit, letting a smile take control of his demeanor. For as much of a prick as Dream can be to his king, he sure does know when the time is right to be sincere. Dream removes his hand. “Now, how about we leave this place and go do something else?” 

“Sure, besides. It was getting a little chilly out here.” 

“Sounds good,” 

Dream bows a bit, reaching his arms towards the entrance to the castle, making a way for the king. “Take the lead, your majesty.” 

George chuckles, making his way into the castle. Dream follows just behind as they begin to wander down the many hallways.


	2. You and George, huh?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He’s not my boyfriend dipshit.” 
> 
> “Bet you wished he was though.”

“So, you’re really George’s personal knight now?” 

Dream looks to his right. Standing there, leg propped up on a rack of wooden training swords, shining his boots is Dream’s good friend, Sapnap. Just like Dream, he is a knight, just one of a much lower rank. His hair is long- reaching down to about the middle of his neck- and a raven black. A white bandana stretches across his forehead. His face is weather-worn but still holds this youthful fire in it that simply can not be matched. Dream bites the inside of his cheek. “Yes, I am, what about it?” 

Sapnap stops shining his shoes for a minute to shoot a toothy grin at his friend. His face reads that of nosiness and suggestion of wondering if there is something more to this relationship. Dream scowls. “Don’t look at me like that.” 

The foxy man whips the rag he was using to shine his shoes up, placing it into his black trouser pockets. He takes a step closer to his friend, the same devilish grin on his face. “Look at you like what?” He asks, knowing damn well what he’s doing. 

“Like,” 

Dream waves his hand around to gesture to Sapnap’s face. “That.” 

Sapnap continues to inch closer. “And what is ‘that’ exactly.” 

He’s egging on and Dream detests it, not to mention the implications of what that look is asking aren’t something he likes all too much. “Well, you know, “ He begins. 

Sapnap is now underfoot. “Whenever you look at me like that it means you want to ask me a question.” 

“What’s so wrong with asking questions?” 

“Nothing, it’s the kind of questions you ask that bothers me.” 

“And what kind of questions are those.” 

Dream throws his head back with frustration. Sometimes his friend feels less like a friend or more like a nosy, annoying younger brother. “You know what they are.” Dream says, turning around to end the conversation. 

Before he can walk too far away though his friend shoots back another inquiry. “ I’m afraid I don’t know, care to give me an example?” 

Dream rolls his eyes, mumbling to himself “Jesus Christ this guy is impossible.” 

He slowly turns around, speaking as he does so. “Well, you’d ask something like,” 

Dream mocks his friend’s mannerisms as he speaks. “You’re King George’s personal knight? Personal as in intimate? Like, macking on each other all the time and stuff?”

Sapnap’s eyes light up. “You two are macking on each other?” 

“What?” Dream shoots back.

He feels a tad bit of heat rise to his cheeks out of shock and embarrassment. He quickly jumps into the defense. “No, no, no! Don’t put words in my mouth!” 

The other knight raises his hands up in the air in submission. “Look, you said it, not me.” 

“But you back me into a corner, asshole!” 

“Ok, maybe I did. I’m sorry about that,”

Sapnap makes his way over to his friend, punching him lightly in the shoulder. “But what good are friends if you can’t have a little fun with them, right?” 

Dream sighs. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” 

“But I mean, come on,” 

Sapnap elbows his friend in the side. “Are you sure everything between you and George is only business or are you taking that personal bit literally?” 

Dream pushes his friend away, fighting at the redness that has consumed his face. He takes a second to compose himself. “Yes, we stick to business. Also, his name is King George.” 

Sapnap rolls his eyes with a groan. “Oh, what does it matter. He’s not here, is he?” 

“No, but it’s still rude to refer to those in positions of power higher than you by only their first name.”

“I call you Dream all the time though, even though you’re a higher rank than me.” 

“Yeah, but that’s different. You’re my friend and I allow you to. King George is not me, he is the king and you should refer to him by such a title.” 

Sapnap snickers. “Someone's really defensive of their boyfriend, huh?” 

Dream snaps, shouting loudly. “He’s not-” 

The commotion caused by the knight’s yelling causes everyone in the training area to become alert. All eyes turn to the two boys for a minute, everything falls deathly silent. Dream fixes his angered stance and leans over to his friend speaking in a normal tone of voice. “He’s not my boyfriend dipshit.” 

Sapnap smiles. “Bet you wished he was though.” 

Dream says nothing for a second like he’s searching for a comeback or an explanation but he can’t find one. “I’m going.” 

With that, he turns to leave. “You didn’t say no!” 

Dream waves a hand dismissively, ignoring his friend’s words. “Good day Sapnap!”

“Just admit it you brick wall, you like him!” 

Dream glances back over his shoulder to respond. “I really don’t, but whatever helps you sleep at night!” 

“You’ll come to terms with it eventually, just you wait!” 

Dream shouts one more thing before exiting the training area, louder than everything he said before to emphasize his leave. “Good day Sir Sapnap!”   
With those words, the knight makes his exit. Upon exiting the training area, Dream is met by the long hallways of the castle. Stone all around with red carpet laid across the floor to make trails to follow. The walls are hung with art, the art of all the many members of the royal family, both past and present. Crystal chandeliers hang from the tall ceiling, providing some light. Dream has walked these halls many times in the past year, so many times he swears he knows the intricacies of every monarch's face. “Sir Dream!” Someone calls. 

He turns around, looking to see who could be trying to get his attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots a man. He’s shorter than Dream, about six inches shorter at least. He wears a regal looking black and red cloak with a dark brown tunic underneath. His trousers are black as are his knee-high boots. His face is round. Upon his face sits a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. “Bad?” Dream mumbles.

The man strides over the Dream with irritation on his face. Upon approaching him, slides his glasses up his face with his index finger. “Sir Dream.” The man says crossly. 

Dream feels his chest tighten with worry. “What is it Bad?” 

The man looks down at the book in his hands, he opens it and begins to flip through the pages until he lands where he wants to. “Where were you just now?” 

Dream looks behind him, towards the doorway to the area. “Training area.” He replies. 

Bad continues to look at his book, tracing his finger along the words. “And what were you doing there?” 

The more questions Bad asks the more confused Dream becomes and the more his worry begins to build. “I was just practicing some fighting techniques, did I do something wrong?” 

Bad lifts an eyebrow and looks at the puzzled knight. “Right here,” He jabs his finger at the page in his book. “It says it’s King George’s bathing time. Which is when your brake is, that is thirty minutes. After those thirty minutes, you are supposed to meet back up with him and continue on about your day.” 

“Yes, I’m well aware. I still don’t see what the problem I-”

Bad cuts him off. “What is the time right now?” 

“Um, I’m not sure. Let me check.” 

Dream reaches towards his belt and flips open one of the pouches, pulling out a small gold pocket watch. He flips it open and reads the time. “It’s 3:05.” 

“Correct,” 

Bad closes his book with fury. “Which means you are five minutes late!”

Dream is taken aback a bit by the man’s rage but quickly turns his shock into annoyance. “Bad, seriously?”

“Yes seriously!” 

He takes a step closer to the knight. “You are now the king’s personal knight! The king of all of L’manburg. Aside from designated times, you are supposed to never leave his side!” 

“Yeah, I understand that but I’m only five minutes late. Is that really worth throwing a hissy fit over?” 

“It is when it’s the king. A lot could happen within five minutes.” 

Dream stands unconvinced. “Like what exactly?” 

Bad rubs the temples of his forehead with frustration. “Someone could stab him!” 

Dream raises an eyebrow. “In the castle?” 

“You never know, someone could break in and stab him! That’s why you’re there, to protect him!” 

Bad continues to hold a stern expression on his face. “Jesus, who are you, his mom, or something?” 

“Language Sir Dream!” Bad retorts. 

“Also, I might as well be, considering. Well, you know-”

Dream raises a hand up to stop Bad from speaking. “Yeah, I know. Also, I’m sorry about being late, it won’t happen again, ok?” 

Bad sighs heavily, readjusting his glasses once more. “It’s fine but you better be on your way. Wouldn’t want to waste any more time.” 

“Of course.” 

With that, Dream takes his leave. Quickening his pace so he doesn’t waste any more time away from the king.


	3. Enough About Me, What About You?

Nightfall is brought. The sun fading into the moon and stars begin to twinkle in the sky. Dream stands at the edge of the king’s bed, his back turned to him as he changes into his nightclothes. “I’m sorry about Bad earlier,” George says.

Dream shrugs his shoulders. “It’s not your fault, no need to apologize.” 

“I just kinda feel guilty about it. Bad is absurdly protective sometimes and you didn’t deserve to get snapped at.” 

“Again, it’s not your fault he’s like that. Besides, I can’t really blame him, especially after your parents dea-” 

Dream catches his tongue, realizing he’s overstepping his boundaries. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that u-”

George cuts him off. “No, no, it-it’s fine, really. You do have a point, I understand that Bad is just trying to do his best to help me to be a good king. I can’t imagine it’s an easy job for him. I just sometimes wished he wasn’t breathing down my neck so much.” 

“You and me both your highness.” 

“You can turn around, by the way, I’m done changing.” 

Dream turns around, standing there is George in his nightwear apparel. A plain, white nightgown with white knee-high stockings. “You look dapper, your highness.” Dream says with a tinge of sarcasm. 

George rolls his light brown eyes back with a smile. “I still think it’s stupid that you have to sleep in a spare room right beside me though, like. What’s the worst that could happen overnight.” 

“According to Bad, you getting stabbed.” 

George makes his way to his massive, king-sized bed and falls back on it, letting his soft mattress catch his fall. “Yeah, well that’s Bad for you. Besides, enough about me, I wanna know more about you.” 

Dream’s body tingles all over with goosebumps. “M-me?” He stammers.

George looks up at his friend. “Yeah, you. You’ve been my knight for pretty much a year now, yet I feel like I don’t really know you personally.” 

Dream begins to sweat bullets, making the helmet he’s wearing much harder to bear keep on. He places a hand on the back of his neck. “Well, I mean. I’m just one of your servants, you don’t need to know anything about me.” 

George frowns while moving to sit up. “Don’t say that, you aren’t just a servant. You’re my friend. I feel like I know you, but I don’t know anything about you or your past.” 

Dream’s mind freezes as he begins to recall memories from his past. Both good memories and memories he’d much rather forget. “My past isn’t something I’m too comfortable talking about.” 

“Ok, then we won’t talk about your past.” 

George pats the space beside where he sits, inviting Dream to come. At first, he’s hesitant but eventually comes to sit down beside the king. He’s tense, his whole body feels tight and he can barely breathe. Dream prays to any gods out there that George won’t nag him about his past. Dream feels a hand planted on his shoulder. He looks over at George. His face is soft and his eyes carry worry. He speaks softly. “Dream, you don’t need to be so uptight, it’s just me.” 

Dream continues to stare at the man. His face, angular in shape, his cheekbones being the most defined part of that face. His gaze is gentle and sweet. The way his hand lands on Dream’s shoulder is one of care. “Your majesty.” Dream says.

“Oh please, you don’t need to call me that when we’re alone. Just George is fine.” 

There’s a vulnerability in George’s words. Dream relaxes his shoulders slightly. “Ok, G-George.” 

George’s smile is sweet like honey, giving his face a warm glow that is akin to that of the embers of a fire radiating off one’s skin. He removes his hand, letting it fall into his lap. “Now, first question,” 

Dream braces himself. George flicks his helmet. “What’s with wearing this all the time?” 

Dream brings his hands up to either side of his knight’s helmet, making sure it’s still properly in place. “What do you mean?” 

“ I mean, I’ve never seen you take it off. Not even when it’s just the two of us, so what gives?” 

Dream feared he’d ask that. He grits his teeth to try and chew away at his nerves. “You got some sort of nasty scar or a birth defect underneath that hunk of metal?” 

“What? No, my face is just fine.” 

“Then why don’t you ever take it off?” 

Dream jumbles around excuses in his head, trying to find a believable reason for wearing this rather inconvenient, stuffy metallic helmet. George begins to scratch his head. “Come to think of it, word has it nobody has ever really seen your face.” 

“That’d be true. Before I became a knight I simply wore a black mask that covered everything other than my eyes.” Dream chimes in.   
“Is that so?” 

Dream nods his head. George leans in closer, like a curious toddler. “So what gives? Why don’t you show your face?” 

Dream swallows a ball of nerves in the back of his throat. “Image…” He manages to say.

“Image?” 

“Y-yeah...Like, the way people perceive you…” 

“Are you scared that people will see you differently if they see your face?”

Dream nods his head slightly, tilting his head to look away. “Well, I don’t think that’s true,” George says.

Dream quietly laughs to himself. “Yeah, well that’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one trying to protect their identity.” 

“Your identity?” 

“Yes,” 

Dream turns around, looking at George. He looks concerned, a small pout drawn out on his lips. Everything about this situation feels weird to Dream, he understands George wanting to know more about him. If he were in his shoes, he’d want to know more about the person tasked and swore to protect him at all hours of the day. However, he does not know why he finds himself opening up so easily to him, it’s a dangerous game to be playing.   
Dream guards his heart with his answer. “Yes, my identity,” 

He knocks on his helmet, the reverb from the clanging on the metal echoes through the room. “This helmet hides my face, my identity. You know, since your face is the most identifiable part of one’s body.” 

George slouches back, looking to be slightly irritated that he isn’t getting the answers he wants. “Well, I knew that, but unless you're a criminal or something. I don’t see why you’d have to hide your face.” 

Dream feels his throat close in. “I don’t mean to sound rude here your mag-I mean George, but are you suggesting I’m a criminal?”

George jolts up, almost offended by the question. “A criminal? No!” 

He plunges his hand forward, grasping hold of Dream’s. Dream is taken aback by this action but does nothing. “No, no, no! I don’t think you’re a criminal. I mean, you wouldn’t be my personal knight if you were one.”

George can feel the tenseness in Dream’s knuckles. He draws back a bit, taking his hand off of Dream’s. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be prying you about this. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” 

Dream chuckles. “It's fine. I was teasing you slightly and you meant no harm. However, it’s getting late,”

Dream reaches his hand back over, giving George’s a light squeeze before moving to stand up. “You should rest, your highness.” 

“I suppose you’re right.” 

Dream walks away, heading towards the door leading to his room. “Good night Dream.” 

Looking back over his shoulder for a moment, Dream smiles with his reply. “Good night George.”


	4. You're an Idiot. Maybe I am

“Your majesty!” 

George is awakened by someone violently shaking his body and yelling in his ear. He springs awake, almost fully sitting up in his bed. He turns his head to the side, seeing who startled him from his peaceful slumber. With his face in a complete panic and body all tensed up, the man standing in front of him is none other than the royal advisor. “Bad?” George says in a still very groggy tone. 

He looks antsy and holds the worry of a concerned mother. “Are you ok?” He asks. 

George shakes his body, pulling his arm away from Bad, which was being held firmly in his grasp. He treads with suspicion and inquiry in his words. “Yes, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” 

“Did you not hear all the clattering last night?” 

George raises an eyebrow to Bad’s question. “No...Should have I? Ok, listen,”

George shifts around on the bed so he’s fully sitting up and not in the awkward position he’s currently in. He stares at his advisor with sternness as he continues to speak. “Could you please explain what’s going on?” 

Bad takes a deep breath as he moves away from the king. “The-the castle was robbed last night.” 

George springs up, wide-eyed. “What?!” 

“Yes, and I-”

Now it’s the king’s turn to morph into a crazed panic. He firmly grasps Bad’s shoulders causing him to tense up in alarm. “What did they take?” 

“They-”

“Also, is Dream ok?”

“I’m fine, nice to know you care.” 

George and Bad turn their heads. Standing by the door is the stoic, tall knight, Dream. He’s pulling on his leather boots. A wave of relief washes over George as he relaxes his hands, letting them drop from Bad’s shoulders. Dream finishes tightening the laces on his boots then makes his way over to the other two. “Yeah, some asshole ki-”

“Language!” Bad retorts.

Though neither person can see Dream’s face, they just know he’s rolling his eyes. “Anyway, some kid came through the castle last night and looted a bunch of stuff.” 

“A kid?” George asks.

“Yes, eyewitnesses indicate it was probably one of Technoblade’s brothers.” 

George’s eyebrows raise up in alarm. “Technoblade? You mean the terrorist that’s exiled.” 

Bad pushes his glasses up his face. “Correct.” 

“Crime really does run in that family.” Dream says with a huff. 

“Yeah, it does. Doesn’t it?” George mumbles.

He shoots his attention back to Bad. “So, what exactly did the little gremlin take?” 

Dream chuckles a bit at his comment. “Well, I think that’ll be a little better explained once you aren’t...You know.” 

“I’m not what?” 

Then it hits him, George looks down, remembering he’s still not changed out of his nightwear. Admittable, it’s a tad bit embarrassing to which he blushes a bit. “Oh, right…”

Bad scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. “Yea...Listen, I’ll wait for you outside and once you’re changed, I’ll explain all that needs to be said. Sounds good?” 

George nods his head. “Ok, fantastic. I’ll just be right outside your door, your majesty.” 

“Got it, you are dismissed.” 

With that, Bad bows slightly and takes his leave. After he closes the door, George moves across the room towards his wardrobe. He opens it, many robes and shirts all aligned perfectly side by side facing him. George’s eyes dart across the arsenal of clothing. “Wow, you picking out your own outfit? I thought that was one of the assistant's jobs.” Dream jokes.

George groans and rolls his eyes with a smile. “I’m an adult Dream, not a five-year-old. I am more than capable of picking out my own clothing.”   
“Yeah, but how are you gonna know if it looks any good. You can’t see.” 

George spins around to playfully glare at his knight. He crosses his arms as he speaks. “I’m only colourblind, not blind Dream.” 

Dream shrugs his shoulders. “Well, I know that but still.” 

George rolls his eyes once more before turning back around to look at his wardrobe. “Besides, I can’t still pick out a decent outfit,” 

He trails his finger across the many outfits on the hangers. A varying array of blues, yellows, and browns meet his eyes. He reaches in and grabs a few different clothes pieces. He turns back around to look at Dream, holding up his outfit as he speaks. “I just need to stick to the colours I’m most comfortable with.” 

Dream looks at the outfit. It’s a puffy-sleeved blue button-up, a pair of black pants, with a dark blue cape. “Blue?” 

“Yeah, it’s my favourite colour.” 

Dream sighs. “That’s fair, I guess. Plus, blue looks good on you.” 

George feels his ribcage tighten and a small amount of blush rise to his cheeks but he groans to play it off. “You’re an idiot.” 

“Perhaps, but you still put up with me regardless.” Dream replies while turning his back to George. 

“I do, quite regrettably so,” George says as he starts to change. 

It takes a minute or so until George is fully changed into his royal attire. Once he’s done, he spins back around. He reaches his hands out and shakes them jazz-hand style. “Tah-dah.” He says. 

Dream turns to look at the king. He gives him a thumbs up. “Looking rather blue my liege.” 

George groans with a smile. “You’re such an idiot.” 

“Is that all you ever have to say to me? Do you seriously not have any better insults up those puffy sleeves of yours?” 

George makes his way towards Dream. “Well, I mean. I’m only stating facts, am I not.” 

Dream laughs, the hollowness of his helmet echoing his sound throughout the room. “Maybe, but if I’m an idiot. Then you’re short.” 

George looks up at Dream who towers over him, he lifts an eyebrow in confusion. “What does my height have to do with me calling you an idiot?” 

Dream shugs. “Nothing I guess, just thought I should point it out.” 

George rolls his eyes. “You’re so dumb.” 

“Maybe I am, maybe I am.” 

A loud knock comes from the spruce door to George’s room. Both boys stop their friendly banter to shoot their attention to the noise. Bad’s voice echoes from the other side. “Your majesty, I hate to rush you but this is a serious matter and I’d rather not wait all day to have it settled.” 

“Understood, I’ll be out in a second!” George replies. 

He looks back at his friend and sighs heavily with a smile. “Looks like mama is calling you.” Dream teases. 

George playfully pushes Dream away while turning around. “Oh, shut up!” 

With that, both Dream and George make their way to the door, ready to face Bad’s endless chatter and concern filled comments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my God, look at me. Two chapters in a day? Impossible. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this. I'll be able to update this more now that I'm on Christmas break.


	5. That's Why They're Called Rumors

The door opens and out steps Dream and George. Bad taps his foot impatiently against the floor, arms crossed. “Took you long enough, now come along. We don’t have all day to settle things.” 

With that, he spins around on his heel and begins to walk down the hall, the king and his knight following just behind him. “So,” George begins.

“What exactly did the guy take?” 

“From what we could tell, some food, two sacks of gold coins, and one of the royal horses.” 

“Oh,” George says through cringe-filled, clenched teeth. 

“Yeah, I tried to catch the brat but once they took that horse. I stood no chance.” Dream chimes in. 

The trio turns a corner, walking down a long and wide set of stairs. “You said that this was one of Technoblade’s brothers?” George asks. 

Bad adjusts his cloak as he speaks. “Yes, at least that’s what we think. Nobody got a clear view of the individual but he was holding a sword that looked identical to the ones Technoblade used to craft.” 

George scratches his head in thought. “Did no one seriously get a look at the guy? Are just running off a hunch?” 

Dream jumps in. “Ok, to be fair. The guy was wearing a mask and had a hood over his head, but yeah. We are going off of a hunch.” 

George mutters under his breath, dissatisfactory. “Jesus.” 

The group reaches the bottom of the steps which leads them into the entrance hall to the castle. “Do remind me Bad, where are you taking us?” George asks.

“There.” 

Bad points off into the distance. Standing by the two large mahogany wood doors is a man with a couple of guards surrounding him. He is about average height and wears a green and white striped hat on his head. He’s also clothed in a green cloak. He looks very calm, not a trace of anxiousness can be found. George raises an eyebrow. “Is that-”

Dream interrupts. “The dirty exile pig’s dad, yeah.”

“Sir Dream, watch your tongue.” Bad sharply says. 

The three approach the man and the guards too which, upon them seeing George, they bow. They all stay like that for a few seconds before the king signals them to stand. He looks at the man in the green robe and long blond hair in the eyes. He continues to keep a monotone, calm expression. “Your majesty.” The man says with a great amount of respect. 

“Philza, didn’t think we’d see you back here again,” George says. 

He looks at the guards, all standing at attention. “You are dismissed, just stand back there for a bit.” He says.

“Sire, I don’t think-” Bad begins to speak before George's hand raising stops him. 

“Bad, it’s just Phill. I doubt he’s going to do much of anything to hurt me.” 

Bad backs down, lowering his head in submission.   
With that the guards all take their leave, staying within distance to still jump to the king’s aid if needed but not so close that they can hear the conversation about to take place. George looks over his shoulder, Dream still stands beside him at attention, hand on the hilt of his sword. “That means you too Dream.” 

The knight looks down. “Are you sure?” 

“Quite sure, I appreciate it but I’m quite alright by myself.” 

Dream nods his head and steps away, walking towards the rest of the knights. Three knights stand side by side, chattering to one another. Among them stands Sapnap. He waves to Dream with a cheerful smile. “Hey Dream, how’s it hanging?”

Dream gives a quick wave and takes his place beside his friend. A man, dressed in silver armor, aside from his head pops out. His skin is tan and his hair is dark brown. “So Dream, how’s life being king appointed knight?” He says with a grin.

Dream takes a second to think, his mind floods back to last night. How George almost cut down the core of his emotional being. He hesitates before speaking. “Um, it’s alright. Bad’s a bit of a pain but it’s nice hanging out with King George so often.” 

“Ooooh, Skeppy. Dream just dissed your boyfriend, how does it feel?” 

The man with dark brown hair, Skeppy, shoots up in alarm. His cheeks turn a little warm in the process. “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s just… A really good friend.” 

Sapnap raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, a really good friend who you just so happen to make out with.” 

“We do not make out! I’m being serious, man, he’s just my friend.” 

“God, you’ve got the same sense of humor as a 10-year-old.” A new voice speaks.

Standing just beside Skeppy is another man. He too has dark brown hair. His skin is pale and he wears square-framed glasses on his face. On top of his head are a pair of fluffy cat ears. “Ok, maybe I do but at least I have a sense of humor. Plus, did I really lie?”

“Sapnap I swear to God!” Skeppy groans. 

“Hey!” 

All the men turn and stand alert. Bad looks over his shoulder, unimpressed and angered. “You gentlemen need to keep it down, we are attending to serious matters here!” 

Nobody says a word. Silence hangs awkwardly in the air until Bad turns back around and continues his conversation. “So,” Skeppy begins, keeping his voice just above a whisper.

“Who do you think the thief is?” 

“Beats me, could’ve been anyone.” The cat man replies.

“Oh come on Ant, it’s so obvious!” Sapanp says.

The cat man, Ant turns to look at Sapnap. He furrows his eyebrows into that of confusion. “Is it now?” 

“Oh, definitely. It’s that kid, Tommy.” 

“Who’s Tommy?” Skeppy inquires. 

Dream buts in. “He’s the youngest son of the man up there,” 

All look towards Bad, George, and the blonde-haired man talking to them. “And the little brother to the terrorist exile, Technoblade.” 

Skeppy nods his head. “Oh,” 

“Yeah, that would make sense. Tommy does have a history of stealing stuff, he’s kinda known around L’manburg for it.” Ant says.

“Exactly, so it only makes sense that it's him!” Sapnap exclaims. 

Ant shrugs his shoulders, resting a hand on his hips. “I don’t know about that, you can’t just jump to conclusions like that. Even if the kid is notorious for it.” 

Sapnap rolls his eyes dramatically, sighing as he speaks. “Oh please, the guy had one of those fancy custom made Technoblade swords. Who else would have one of those anymore?” 

“Technoblade swords?” Skeppy inquires. 

Sapnap shoots him a confused glance. “Yeah, the swords, you gotta know about them, right?” 

Skeppy’s face stays blank to which Sapnap facepalms himself in the most over-exaggerated way possible. “Listen, dude, I get that you only just became a knight and all but you seriously can’t be that naive.” 

“Hey, it’s not my fault nobody ever tells me anything.” 

“It’s fine, I’ll explain,” Dream says.

He clears his throat before continuing. “Technoblade used to work as a blacksmith for the royal family. He made a lot of very durable and powerful weapons, including the sword the thief last night was wearing. However, he attacked the royal family and ended up kill-” 

Dream cuts his explanation short. He looks towards George who stands with his head high and eyes cold with seriousness. Dream frowns a bit looking at his friend. “He-he ended up killing the late king and queen.”

“Wait, really? I was under the impression they passed away because of an illness.” 

Dream shakes his head. “That’s what they told the general public so no one would freak out but everybody in the castle knows he was murdered.” 

“Yeah, after he murdered the king and queen he was exiled and all of his work was discarded.” Ant adds.

“Wait, why was he only exiled? Isn’t that worthy of execution?” Skeppy asks.

Dream sighs, rubbing the nape of his neck. “Oh it definitely is a crime punishable by death and trust me, they tried. But for some reason, no matter what form of execution they used, the man wouldn’t die. So the courts came to the swift decision to just exile him not only from L’manburg but every other kingdom within the area.” 

“Wowie…” Skeppy mumbles.

“Yes, it certainly is something. That family sure does have a history of crime.” Ant says. 

“Exactly! So it only makes sense that Tommy is the thief! The brat has a history of stealing shit and his family is no better.” Sapnap nags.

Ant looks to him once more. “The guy had a mask on, for all we know it could’ve been his other brother.” 

Sapnap raises an eyebrow. “Other brother?” 

Ant stares at him for a little while longer until he catches on. “Oh! Wait, Wilbur?” 

“There’s nothing to say it wasn’t him.” 

Dream chuckles. “What’s so humorous Sir Dream?” Ant asks.

Dream scoffs. “Ok, I’m not one to typically side with Sapnap but, come on now. Wilbur?” 

Ant continues to hold the same monotone expression on his face. “He could be, all are suspicious until proven otherwise.” 

“Ok but Wilbur? That’s quite a stretch. The man is the only one in that family who has no criminal record.” 

“Yeah, you tell him Dream!” Sapnap cheers. 

“The man had a mask on, nobody could tell, either way, I’m just throwing an idea out there.” 

“Ok, but isn’t that a little bit a ludi-”

Dream gets cut off mid-sentence by Ant. “This situation actually reminds me a lot of a different criminal.” 

Dream catches his breath. “Who?” Skeppy asks.

Ant turns outward, looking forward, and tucks his hands behind his back. “Do you remember a couple of years ago a robber who went under the name ‘The Twilight Thief?” 

Dream feels his chest tighten. He nods his head. “Yes, I’m aware. What about it?” 

“Well,” 

Ant looks Dream square in the face, his face still not unhinging from its stone-cold expression.”Wouldn’t you say that this thief is mimicking The Twilight Thief quite closely?” 

Dream’s throat grows dry, his helmet suddenly becomes quite stuffy. “Well, now that you mention it. Yes, they are.” He says. 

Ant nods, turning away from Dream. “Hold on, The Twilight Thief...Weren’t they that fella who stole a bunch of super expensive stuff from the royal family and other rich families but like? He only took stuff at night?” Skeppy asks.

Ant nods his head. “Indeed, he disappeared mysteriously about four years ago just after the king and queen put out a warrant for his capture and likewise, a warrant for his death.” 

The room falls deathly quiet for a few minutes. Coldness stings the lungs of all the men causing a few shivers down the spine. “I mean, yeah but that guy is gone. We don’t have to worry about them anymore.” Sapnap says, cutting the silence. 

Ant ignores Sanap’s commentary and instead turns back to Dream. “You know, Dream. There’s been lots of discussion and theorizing about who this thief could be.” 

Dream feels his breathing hitch. “Oh really?” 

Ant steps closer. “Yeah, do you know who many think the robber is?” 

Dream begins to feel claustrophobic. “No, do enlighten me.” 

Ant stops only a few feet away from him. “You.” 

“Hold on a minute!” Sapnap objects. 

Everyone turns to look at him. “Dream ain’t no criminal. He’s George’s personal knight. Do you think they’d let a criminal work so close to the king?”

“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. I never said he was, I’m just telling the rumors.”

“Yeah, well. That’s why they’re called rumors, aren’t they?” Dream glares down at the cat boy. 

Ant shrugs his shoulders and begins to back away. “I suppose you’re right.” 

Dream takes a deep internal sigh of relief and lets his shoulders drop. He feels a hand plant itself on his shoulder. Dream looks to the side, there is his best friend with a sympathetic look in his eyes. “You good bud? I’m sorry about that, I don’t know what’s up with Ant today. That was so uncalled for.” 

“Yea-yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for looking out for me.” 

Sapnap smiles kindly and gives his friend a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Anytime buddy.” 

“Alright, gentlemen.” Bad calls.

Sapnap removes his hand, every man moves to stand at attention. Both Bad and the king approach the knights. “We're done here, you may escort this man off of the castle grounds and Dream, you may come with us. You are dismissed.” 

With those words from Bad, the men move about to their intended positions. Dream walks up to George as they follow behind Bad. George’s face is sour and looks deep in thought. “Hey,” 

George snaps out of his daze, looking up at Dream. “Are you ok?” Dream asks softly. 

George fakely smiles and nods his head. “Yeah, I’m just...Fine, got a lot to think about is all.” 

“ Ok then, but just know I’m here to talk if you need anything.” Dream reassures.

George smiles more genuinely. “Thanks, Dream.” 

The two continue to follow Bad as he rambles about the things planned for the rest of the day and Dream hopes that he can shake his interaction with Ant aside and forget about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's midnight when I finished writing this so if the writing is shit, you know why.


	6. No One Cares For the Poor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter (for context) takes place at the beginning of the conversation between Bad, Philza, and George but instead of it following Dream, we follow George.

George looks up at Dream, he gives him a kind and sincere smile. Dream’s hands are clasped firmly around the hilt of his sword, prepared to strike at a single given word. It brings George a great amount of comfort but at this moment it is not needed. He opens his mouth to speak. “That means you too Dream.” 

Dream looks down at the king, tilting his head to the side as he replies, worry laces into his speech. “Are you sure?” 

“Quite sure, I appreciate it but I’m quite alright by myself.” 

Dream continues to stand stationary, looking uneasy, and unsure of the situation. George gives the knight a pleading and comforting smile to which Dream takes it as the reassurance he needs to leave. He nods his head, leaving George with Bad and the man before them. “Now,” George begins. 

He turns to look at the man. “Do you know why we brought you here, Philza?” 

Philza folds his arms and keeps his head high. “I’m not too sure, I was just summoned here without a reason.” 

George raises an eyebrow. “You’re confident that you don’t have any idea?” 

“I haven’t the faintest clue.” 

Distaste and hatred seep through the men’s words. Like the venom from a snake bite. George looks to Bad who stands at his side, quietly and patiently. “Could you please tell this man why he was brought here?” George asks. 

Bad jolts at his words and clears his throat to speak. “But of course, your highness.” 

He stares Phill dead in the eyes with a disapproving glare. “Last night the castle was robbed.” 

Phill raises an eyebrow. “And you think I was the one who robbed it?” 

Bad shakes his head. “No, but we think you may know the person who did.” 

It takes Philza a minute to register what is being said. His eyes shoot wide. He sighs with an offended laugh. “Oh, you think it was one of my boys.” 

Bad looks to George and then back to Philza, biting down on his tongue. George speaks up for him, coldness in his tone. “Yes, we have many reasons to believe it was one of your sons.” 

Philza scoffs at the remark. “Does the royal family have nothing better to do than blame my sons for various felonies?” 

George feels a pit of rage bubbling at the bottom of his stomach. He clenches his fits. “It’s not my fault your sons continue to break the law.”

“I suppose you have a point but do tell,” 

Philza’s eyes are as cold as the great arctic. “What evidence do you have to back these claims because this seems like quite the fallacy so far.” 

George chews away at the inside of his cheek, Bad can see the distress the king is in to which he jumps into the conversation. “The thief was seen with a sword, that is one of the custom swords that Technoblade used to make.” 

“Ok, but how does that trace back to my boys? Anyone could’ve gotten their hands on one of them.” 

“Oh please,” George hisses. 

“All of the weapons that man crafted were thrown into the fire after he was exiled.”

Philza leans back on his hip, his face unwavering from its stern expression. “Ok, you do have a point but even still. Suppose it was one of my sons, why would I tell you who?” 

“To bring justice and your loyalty to this country and the crown,” Bad says. 

Phill rolls his baby blue eyes and chuckles to himself before replying. “What makes you think I have any loyalty to this place, let alone a monarch?” 

The seething ball of rage rises in George’s body but he continues to push it down. Chattering fills the back of his head, it comes from behind and overwhelms George. Lines of stress appear along his forehead. “Your highness, are you ok?” Bad asks. 

George runs a hand through his hair. “There’s just a lot of chatter in the background, it’s a tad bit distracting.”

Bad looks over his shoulder. In the distance stands the knights, fooling around and talking up a storm. Bad clears his throat, shouting across the room. “Hey!” 

At once the men stop what they are doing and turn their attention to him. “You gentlemen need to keep it down, we are attending to serious matters here!” He says.

The men nod their heads and stay silent. The silence lingers on until Bad turns back around to continue the conversation. “Better?” He asks George.

The king nods, letting his hands drop. “Yeah, much better, thank you.” 

George straightens his back and takes a deep breath to speak, but before a single word can leave his mouth Phill talks. “You know, there’s a reason why people steal from the rich.” 

“I beg your pardon?” George asks. 

“People steal from the rich because the rich take from the poor first.” 

Philza takes a step closer. “Were simply reclaiming what was originally ours.” 

George jumps to the defense. “Now hold on a minute-” 

Phill’s anger rises as he practically spits his words. “The people in your city, your kingdom live ration to ration. We starve in the streets, left to fend for ourselves with nothing more than the clothing on our backs. Can you truly blame anyone for stealing from you?” 

George’s eyes grow wide, he doesn’t know how to respond. “I mean, what’re a few apples and a bag of coins to you? You have it made in the shade, you’ve never had to once worry if you weren’t going to be clothed or bathed or fed.”

Bad chimes in. “Now Phill-” 

Philza shoots a finger up to silence him. “Let me speak!” He barks.

“You monarchs live a life of prestige, and we, the people are sick of watching you look down at us from your fancy castles as we starve to death. It’s a wonder someone didn’t retaliate and kill your parents sooner.” 

George feels his breathing hitch as horrific memories flood back. “That is enough!” Bad shouts. 

Both men look at Bad. “Philza, that is quite enough out of you. How dare you speak to the king like that, why if I had half a mind I’d-” 

George places a hand on his shoulder to shush him. George’s face is somber and looks heavy. “ I think we are done with the investigation.” He says.

“What? Sire, we haven’t figured-” 

George looks Bad in the eyes, heavy and filled with grief. Bad instantly backs down. “We do not need to investigate any further.” 

George looks to Philza, his face has softened and holds confusion. “You are dismissed.” 

With that, George turns to leave, Bad following behind. “Your majesty, are you certain this is a wise idea?”

“I’ll let it slide this once, please stop questioning my choices.” 

Bad lowers his head as they walk in silence. As the two approach the knights, Bad calls to them. “Alright, gentlemen.” 

All the men turn to look at them. “We're done here, you may escort this man off of the castle grounds and Dream, you may come with us. You are dismissed.” 

With it, everyone turns to do their separate tasks. George dazes off and zones out as he enters a train of thought. The words Philza said ring through his ears.

“You monarchs live a life of prestige, and we, the people are sick of watching you look down at us from your fancy castles as we starve to death.”

“People steal from the rich because the rich take from the poor first.”

“I mean, what’re a few apples and a bag of coins to you? You have it made in the shade, you’ve never had to once worry if you weren’t going to be clothed or bathed or fed.”

“Hey,” 

George snaps out of his trance. He looks up, there stands Dream. His stance shows that of concern. “Are you ok?”

George puts on a fake smile and nods. “Yeah, I’m just...Fine, got a lot to think about is all.” 

“ Ok then, but just know I’m here to talk if you need anything.”

George feels a great amount of comfort in his friend’s words. “Thanks, Dream.” He says. 

The two continue to follow Bad as he rambles about the things planned for the rest of the day and George hopes he can shake his interaction with Philza aside.


	7. What if I'm Not Good Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out way fluffier than I was planning but really, who's complaining.

George paces around his room in the late hours of the night. Going from one side of his room to the other. No matter what he tries, he can’t seem to calm the thoughts in his head, thoughts that trail back to his conversation with Philza earlier that day.

“You monarchs watch us from your tall castles as your people starve to death.” 

“It’s a wonder someone didn’t kill your parents sooner.” 

“People steal from the rich because the rich take from the poor first.” 

They buzz around his mind in maddening chaos. It’s not like George wants to be an asshole or has no compassion for the poor, it’s just he doesn’t know what to do about it. As much as Phill and his family irk and hurt him to no end, he can’t deny the truth in what the old man said. “I just,” George mumbles to himself, running his fingers through his slightly knotted hair. 

“I just don’t know what the fuck I’m supposed to do.” 

George walks over to his bed and falls back in defeat. He stares clueless at his ceiling for what feels like countless hours until an idea dawns upon him. He cocks his head, turning it to look at the door situated directly across from his bed, on the other side of the room. 

George moves to stand up, making his way over to the door. He gets about halfway before coming to a halt. “Should I even be asking?” He whispers. 

Thoughts jumble around in his mind but he pushes them down. He approaches the door, placing knuckles to the door. He takes a deep breath. He knocks then back away. The silence and waiting for an answer is unbearable. George holds his hand to his chest, his heartbeats anxiously. A couple of minutes later a voice can be heard from the other side. “Yes?” 

George exhales and makes his way to the door. “Hey Dream.” He says softly. 

George lightly presses his face up against the door so he can hear through the other side better. Dream’s voice is groggy and hoarse. “Is something wrong Your Highness? You aren’t hurt, are you?” 

George shakes his head with a heavy sigh. “No, no. I just … Can’t fall asleep.” 

“Why is that?”

“I-” 

George slides to the floor in defeat, his head in his hands. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to lead this country…” 

There’s a brief pause before Dream responds, his words laced with care but he hesitates in his speech. “O-ok… What do you want me to do? Like, how can I help? Also, do you need me to come over there?” 

“No, no, it’s fine. We can just talk like this.” 

His breathing hitches as he speaks. “I just… I need advice.” 

Another long pause of silence lingers on after George’s words. 

“Stupid, stupid, stupid! Don’t burden him with your problems!” George’s words shriek at him.

George knows Dream isn't adequate enough to help sort out all of his kingly problems. Hell, his only job is to make sure he’s safe and not a scratch touches his body. However, he still finds himself on the floor in the late hours of the night, near a mental breakdown, begging for his help. He feels so foolish. “You-you want my help?”

Dream sounds confused but at the same time, dumbfounded. George pulls his knees to his chest and buries his head into them. He nods. “Ye-yeah… I guess I do.” 

George hears Dream lightly cough. He stutters as he speaks. “Are...Are you sure you don’t wanna like, y-you know? Talk to Bad abou-about this,” 

George feels the corners of his eyes begin to mist. “I mean...He’s like, your ad-advisor and stuff…” 

George feels a wave of overwhelming panic wash over him he cries loudly into his hands. “I don’t fucking know what I want!” 

George loses all rationality and sense of awareness, he sobs loudly without trying to stop a thing. “Woah, holy shit. You good Sire?” 

George stays silent. “Hold on, I’m coming over there.” 

George tries to wipe away the wall of tears streaming down his cheeks. His speech is filled with hiccups. “N-no, it… It’s fine, I don’t… I don’t need y-you to come over here.” 

“Nonsense, you’re clearly going through it, and talking through this door isn’t cutting it. Give me a minute.” 

George curls in on himself, scooching away from the door so he’s pinned against the wall. He stares aimlessly outward, not focusing on anything, in particular, zoning out so much so that he barely notices when the door is opened. The wooden door quiet clangs shut causing George to snap out of his trance. With tears still blossoming out of his eyes, he looks up. He barely even notices who’s standing above him. 

He knows it’s Dream, it couldn’t be anybody else but it’s still awestricking. Dream walks over and kneels in front of the king. His face is mostly obscured by darkness and a plain white mask with a simply drawn smiley face across it. While it hides almost all of Dream’s facial features, it does expose his eyes and his hair. George feels his own eyes grow wide in wonder and fascination, it almost stops the trail of tears. “Wow…” He mutters just below a breath.

Dream’s eyes are pale green with almost golden accents in them, they’re hypnotizing. George swears he feels his heart flutter. Dream’s eyes hold concern and sincerity, they calm George’s anxious thoughts. “Hey, are you ok?” 

Dream’s words are intertwined in silk-like honey of gentle, heartfelt concern. His tone, barely loud enough for George to hear. George uses the sleeves of his nightclothes to rub his eyes dry. They’re puffy and sting to the touch. He shakes his head slightly. “This whole being king thing isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.” 

“I don’t doubt it.” 

George sees Dream’s hand reach out to him, he looks up. Dream stands above him but slightly hunched over. “You wanna talk about this somewhere other than the floor?” 

A small smile is met with George's lips as he wipes his eyes once more. “Y-yeah… That’d be lovely.” 

George takes hold of Dream’s hand. He is warm to his touch and sturdy as he pulls him up. Once he’s standing, George ends up dangerously close to the knight’s chest and likewise, his face (or more so his mask). He stands breathless as he looks into Dream’s flawless eyes. They look like the pearly gates to heaven and quite similarly, to the soul. George doesn’t even know how long he stands there until Dream clears his throat with a great amount of discomfort. George snaps out of his hypnotic trance. “Oh, right. We need to talk, sorry about that.” 

“Not a problem, don’t worry about it…” 

Dream lets his hand slip from George’s as he turns. It’s at this moment that George notices Dream’s hair better. While it’s colour is dim in the poor lighting that the moon casts into the bedroom, he can still tell that it is a light brown. It’s wavy and reaches down his neck, it looks to be almost long enough to be tied back into a small ponytail. George feels his mind trailing again but forces himself to snap back to reality. Where did all these weird thoughts come from in the first place? George props himself down on the bed, Dream sitting next to him. George fiddles with his thumbs, keeping his gaze fixed on the floor. “So, you need advice?” Dream asks.

“Y-yeah, or really just someone who’ll listen to me complain about my petty problems.” 

“Hey,” 

A hand lands on George’s shoulder, causing him to divert his gaze from the floor back up to Dream’s eyes. “Your problems aren’t petty, I can only imagine that being a king is extremely difficult. God knows I’d never want your job.”

Dream’s eyes shoot wide in panic, he backtracks. “That isn’t to say you don’t have a good job of course, just that it’s not… I could never-”

George gently places a hand on top of Dream’s and smiles sweetly. “ I know what you mean Dream, no need to explain yourself.” 

George lets his hand drop as does Dream. “Right…” 

An uncomfortable silence falls upon the two for a second before Dream pipes up again. “So, you needed someone to listen to you, and here I am. So, spill your heart out.” 

George smiles a bit at Dream's words, he moves to position himself criss-cross on the bed, facing his knight. His hands land lazily in his lap. George takes one deep breath, then speaks in somber tonality. “What if...What if I’m not good enough to be king?” 

Dream immediately jumps to the defense. “What, what do you mean? Of course, you are!” 

George feels the tears welling up again. “Am I though? I mean, what if I’m just not cut out for this kingly stuff,” 

George lets his fingers run through his hair. “I mean, Christ’s sake Dream. Philza had a point.” 

“What did Philza tell you?” Dream asks.

George huffs, bringing his hands down to wrap himself in his own tight embrace. “He talked a bunch about how the people of L’manburg are starving while I do nothing. How I sit up here in my castle without a need to worry about my basic needs while the basic needs of the common people are all they worry about. And I...I haven’t done a thing to stop it, I haven’t I...I.” 

The waterworks begin once more. This time, two hands drop to George’s shoulders. Quiet shushing noises exit Dream’s mouth. He speaks in a gentle yet low tone, just loud enough for George to hear. “Hey, hey. Shhh, deep breaths.” 

None of the words stick in George’s head, they simply fly into one ear and come out the other. The next thing either man knows, without even a thought, George flies into Dream’s arms. He presses himself against his chest, grasping his hands to his nightshirt. Notably, Dream is rather caught off guard by the action, it’s very uncharacteristic of George. However, soon enough, Dream eases into the embrace, placing his hands on the king’s upper back. He hums calming shushes and rubs small circles into George’s back. A considerable amount of blush is met to Dream’s face but he tries his best to push it aside. 

George continues to sob uncontrollably, he’s sure that he’ll regret everything about this encounter in the morning but as it stands, Dream’s embrace is the only thing in this world that can soothe him. “Hey, hey. It’s ok, I’m here.” Dream whispers, burying his head into George's hair. 

The two men lingerie on like that for what feels like hours until George pulls away slightly. His eyes are ridiculously red and puffy but he hardly has the time to care. Tear tracks run down his cheeks. George lets his hands drop from Dream’s shirt to rub his eyes. The whole exchange is admittedly a tad bit embarrassing for him as he quietly chuckles hoarsely with his words. “I-I’m sorry about that I-”

George’s words are suddenly interrupted by the feeling of his hands being grasped in another’s. He looks down, Dream’s hands are gently placed in his. George swears he feels his breath catch on itself. He’s never seen such variability from his knight. Dream begins to rub small circles along George’s knuckles with his thumb as he speaks. “Don’t apologize, I can’t imagine the stress you’re under as king,” 

A swift hand is brought up to gently caress George’s face. Dream knows he’ll most indefinitely regret it later but he couldn’t care less at that moment. George smiles gently, softly leaning into Dream’s hand. Dream speaks only just loud enough for George to hear. “Don’t ever apologize for being human.” 

George leans out of his hand as Dream returns to rubbing circles into George’s palms. “I guess,” George huffs.

“I guess I just worry I’m not the right fit for this kingdom. As much as Phill’s words stung, he has a point. The people are wasting away to nothing while I stand back and just watch it all happen. I just,” 

George throws his head back in frustration. “I just don’t know what to do. I can’t even begin to try and pretend like I can relate to the common person because I’ve never been the common person.” 

“Why don’t you ask Bad for help then, he is your advisor?” 

“I would, but Bad doesn’t understand a thing about what it’s like to be the common person under my rule either. He’s grown up in the royal court his whole life. Which brings me to you.” 

George and Dream's eyes reconnect, there’s a gentle sternness in the king’s gaze. “You’ve been a citizen longer than you’ve been a knight, which in turn means you understand what it’s like for the people of L’manburg. You understand their struggles.” 

Dream stops rubbing his thumb along George’s palm. He stammers. “I-I, G-George-” 

George wraps his finger’s around Dream’s thumbs and brings his hands up to his chest. “Please Dream. I’m begging you for help… I know it’s above your paygrade but I don’t know who else to ask.” George coaxes. 

Dream says nothing, he just stares into George’s brilliant brown eyes. They plead, looking desperate for help. Dream is George’s last lifeline. Dream lets his four other fingers curl around George’s wrists. “Well, I can try to help...Um... “ 

He lets his mind trail. Thoughts and memories from the past flood his brain, he shudders at some of them. “Well,” He begins.

“It might be good to start with the food problem we have here…” 

“The food problem.” George parrots.

“Yeah, the lines of trade between the different kingdoms have been cut for so long that it’s made it harder for food to get into the kingdom and in return, caused a massive starvation problem.” 

George grips Dream’s thumbs tighter. “Ok, so if I reopen the lines of trade between our kingdom and others, it might help settle the starvation problem.”

“In theory, yeah.” 

“B-but we really aren’t on good terms with many of the surrounding kingdoms, that’s why the lines of trade were closed in the first place.”

Dream moves his hands so that he can intertwine his fingers in with George’s. Even though George can’t see it, he knows Dream is smiling. “I know you’ll work something out.” 

“You sure?” 

“Positive. Now,” 

Dream lets his fingers slip from George’s. “It’s super late, you need sleep and I need sleep.” 

George yawns a bit, he’d completely forgotten the passage of time. “Yeah, I guess you're right.” 

Dream turns to stand, leaving for his bedroom. “Good night George.” 

Before he can get too far though, George halts him with his words. “Hold on, one more thing...Actually, no, two more things.” 

Dream looks over his shoulder. “Yes?” 

George scratches the back of his neck, his words are heartfelt. “Thanks for everything.” 

Dream sighs a bit with a smile. “Anytime.” 

“Also, you should wear that mask more often, it suits you better. Even with the derpy smile on the front.” 

Dream feels his face flush. “Um… Th-thank you... “ 

George fixes his gaze to the floor once more. “Yeah… No problem, night Dream…”

“Good night George.” 

With those words, Dream makes his way back to his room. Neither boy really sleeps all that much despite swearing to go to bed but the two hope that maybe the less than platonic interactions between them can be thrown aside at least the hope.


	8. The Beginning of the Mending

“You want to reopen trade between our kingdom and the surrounding cities and kingdoms?” Bad looks up from his agenda. 

George nods. “Precisely, I mean there’s a shortage of food and hopefully if we can successfully reopen trade between our kingdom and others, it’ll help solve the problem.” 

Bad his index finger to his chin in thought. George looks to Dream who gives him a reassuring thumbs-up. George smiles at the action. “Well Sire,” Bad closes his book.

George crosses his fingers, hoping for a positive response. Bad smiles. “I think that’s fantastic.” 

A wave of joy and relief washes over the king. “However,” 

George’s stomach drops a bit. The words “however” after a sentence are never good. Bad pushes his glasses up his face. “We aren’t on fantastic terms with the other kingdoms at the moment, so it may be difficult.”

“That’s fine, I wasn’t planning on consulting the other kingdoms at this moment.” 

Bad raises an eyebrow at the statement. “Then who were you planning on asking?” 

George looks to Dream, while he can’t see his face, his presence is enough to calm his nerves. George turns to look back at his advisor. “El Rapids?” 

Bad’s eyes grow wide with something akin to disgust and disapproval. “Are you serious?” 

George begins to rub the back of his neck. “Look, I know that El Rapids is certainly a… Interesting place.” 

“That’s one way to phrase it.” Bad mumbles. 

“And their president is… Unique… “

“Unique is putting it lightly.” 

“But,” George’s eyes grow wide with hope. 

“We are on the best terms with them and they have a lot of food, they’re our safest bet right now. Besides I really, really don’t want to deal with, them.”

There’s a moment of silence, Bad gets lost in another train of thought. George feels his stomach tighten in anticipation. The quiet stay for a moment or so more until a dramatic sigh leaves the advisor’s mouth. “Ugh! I guess you do have a point… Do you want to send out the squire to give him a word, set up a time to discuss stuff?” 

George looks back at Dream, biting his lip. “Actually,” He begins. 

“I already sent out Purpled this morning, said I’d be by today.”

“What?!” Bad exclaims. 

Dream leans in and mumbles into the king’s ear. “I told you he’d react like that.” 

“Oh shut up.” George groans. 

He takes a step forward, placing a hand on the distrot man. “Listen, Bad,” 

The king is cut off by Bad’s flailing about in a frenzy, pulling George’s hand off him. “No, you listen! You can’t just go around making plans like that without telling me.” 

“I mean, technically he can, he is the king…” Dream says, just loud enough for the two to hear. 

Bad runs a hand through his light brown hair in frustration. “Ok, I guess you’re right, he technically doesn’t need my permission to do anything but that doesn’t mean he should!” 

Bad takes a few deep breaths to calm his anger. “Listen,” He says, looking up at the king. 

“There’s a reason why I’m your advisor, I’m here to advise, to guide you, and help make you the best king that you can be. But I can’t do that if you start making decisions without consulting me first.”

George nods his head and sighs. “Y-you’re right, I’m sorry… “ 

Bad smiles a bit as he begins to walk down the hallway, reopening his agenda to write. George and Dream follow at his side. “Now, I guess it’d be rude to leave the man waiting, luckily El Rapids isn’t too far from here, so you should be back by the end of the day.” 

Bad pulls out a pen from his cloak and begins to jot down things. “I’ll make sure the servants are ready with the horses and carriage by ten o’clock.” 

“Got it,” George says.

Bad stops in his tracks for minutes, looking the king in the eyes. “Oh, and Sire?” 

George tilts his head in inquiry. “Yes?” 

The tender gaze, quite like a mother is met with Bad’s eyes, he speaks softly. “If anything happens, please send the squire back with word about it, ok?”

George smiles sweetly. “I promise I will.” 

Bad nods before pulling out a golden pocket watch from his pants, he flips it open to read the time. “Now, I will see you down by the castle’s entrance in about, twenty minutes, ok?” 

George nods to which Bad departs from the king and his knight. 

Dream steps forward, standing at his king’s side. “That went surprisingly well.” 

George looks up at Dream and laughs a bit. “Yeah, I did not think he’d take that as well as he did.” 

Dream looks back down, meeting George’s gaze. Dark circles can be found under his eyes from the lack of sleep he had last night. They also still look slightly bloodshot from the amount of tears he shed. It’s a painful reminder of all the stress involved in being a king, stress that Dream could never imagine being under. He sighs a bit at this thought but quickly changes his train of thought. “Wanna go take a walk in the orchard before we leave?” He asks. 

George smiles brightly, it meets his eyes which is rather endearing. “Sure, sounds lovely.” 

After a brisk walk through the marvelous orchard at the castle, Dream and George make their way to the outside of the castle where Bad, a coachman, and a horse tied to a silver and black carriage wait. As well as two knights, those knights being Ant and Sapnap. Bad looks down at his watch, presumably to see if the two would be on time. George raises a hand in the air, waving. “Bad!” He yells.

Bad looks up from his watch and smiles. “Your highness, you’re right on time.” 

The two boys approach Bad and the others. George looks around. An elegant, white horse stands with the coachmen behind them. Sapnap and Ant stand at attention, not moving from their positions. “So,” Bad speaks.

“Everything is all ready for you, Ant and Sapnap will follow just behind you on their horses and you and Dream will ride in the carriage, of course. Hopefully, you will be back before sundown.” 

George nods his head. “Be safe and please do try to leave a good impression.” 

“I’ll do my best,” George says. 

Bad nods before opening the door to the carriage. The knights move to their horses. The king steps up into the carriage with Dream just behind him. “I’ll see you soon Sire,” Bad says before shutting the door to the carriage. 

Within a couple of minutes, the group set out on the road and pull away from the castle. George looks out the window, seeing the prestigious scenery of his castle ground home turn into the countryside of L’manburg’s kingdom. “So, how you feeling?” 

George looks to Dream, he shrugs his shoulders. “A bit nervous, kinda dreading meeting the president of El Rapids.” 

“I don’t blame you, dude is a little,” 

Dream twirls his finger in a circular motion by his head. “Loco.” 

George chuckles. “You can say that again.” 

He turns to look back out the window. Rolling fields of grass come into view, every now and again the carriage passes a small farm. “I hope that the switch of monarchs will make it easier to come to a compromise,” George says.

“I mean, that’d make sense.” 

“As much as I loved my parents, it is regrettable that they went and caused such ill will between us and other kingdoms.” 

“Yeah…”

“Oh!” Dream explains. 

George looks back over at his knight. He raises an eyebrow. Dream holds his hands out excitedly. “Close your eyes.” 

George raises an eyebrow. “Why?” 

“Just do it, close your eyes for a minute.” 

George continues to stare at Dream, confused, and unsure. Dream pleads with his words. “Please?” 

George rolls his eyes with a smile while places his hands over his eyes while also closing them. “Alright, fine.” 

George stares into the darkness, waiting for Dream to give the word to open his eyes. “Are they closed?” Dream asks.

“Yes.” 

“Are you sure?” 

George laughs. “Yes, they’re closed. Can you hurry up?” 

“Ok, ok. I just wanted to be sure.” 

The sound of metal clanging rings through George’s ears. A couple of minutes later Dream gives the word. “Ok, open em’.”

George removes his hands and lets his eyes shoot open, light pouring into them. George stiffles a laugh upon seeing his knight. On his face is the white mask with the derpy smile on the front that Dream wore the night before. “Oh my God.” He whispers. 

“What?” Dream chuckles. 

“You said you preferred me with this mask on, don’t you?” 

George brings a hand to cover his mouth, preventing him from laughing. “ I mean, I do. I just didn’t think you’d actually wear it again.” 

Dream leans in a bit, speaking in a husky tone. “Anything for you, your highness.” 

A small amount of blush rises to the king’s cheeks but he plays it off. “You’re an idiot.” 

Dream wheezes in response. George admits that as dumb and silly Dream can be, he likes that about that him. He’s not like most of the people in the castle, he treats George with respect but he isn’t shy to be friendly. It’s admirable, he feels less like a knight and more like a friend. George looks back out his window, his eyes widen. “Oh, we're here!” 

The city of El Rapids comes into view. It’s a town of simple wooden buildings and bumpy cobblestone streets but there’s a special charm to it. George looks back over to Dream and smirks. “You gonna keep that mask on while we're here?” 

Dream shakes his head. “Nah,” 

He reaches a hand forward, swiftly grabbing George’s hand and lifting it to the smile on his mask. His voice is deep and soft. “It’s for your eyes only.” 

A significant amount of heat rises to the king’s face. He laughs it away and pulls his hand back. Even if he knows Dream is joking, he can’t deny that Dream’s words were a tad bit flattering. “Ok casanova,” George says.

Suddenly, the carriage comes to a halt. The horse up front squeals. They’ve arrived. Within a couple of minutes, the door is opened by none other than Sapnap. He smiles brightly and bows his head. “I hope you had a pleasant trip, your highness. We are here.” 

George smiles, moving to stand up. Sapnap takes one of his hands and helps him down. The king moves to the side. Sapnap, looks up and immediately bursts into laughter upon seeing his friend. “Dream, oh my God! Is that your mask from knight training days?” 

Dream groans. “ Yeah, it is. What about it?” 

Sapnap crosses his arms. “Are you seriously gonna wear that?” 

“No, I just… It’s… Look, give me a minute to change, ok?” 

“Ok, ya weirdo.” With that, Sapnap shuts the carriage door, leaving Dream by himself. 

Dream groans heavily, sinking into his seat. He isn’t gonna deny, ever since last night, he’s not quite sure if his feelings towards the king will ever be the same.


	9. Rebuilding Bridges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is pretty long so strap in!

George walks down the cobblestone street, Ant and Sapnap behind, with Dream by his side. “Your highness, I hate to pry.” Ant pipes up. 

George looks over his shoulder. “But where exactly did you say the president and his cabinet were going to meet us?” 

George looks into the distance and points his finger straight ahead . “The city hall building, right up there.” 

All the men look to where the king points. A tall, red brick building stands. It has a banner stretched across the top titled “El Rapids City Hall.” 

Ant scratches his head. “It’s a bit run down.” 

Sapnap grins. “I think it gives it character, it’s nice.” 

George looks into the distance. Four men stand on the steps of the building. George takes a deep breath, feeling his stomach tie in knots. Dream senses his discomfort to which he places a hand on his shoulder. “You ok, your highness?” 

George jumps at little upon being touched. He looks up and smiles meekly. “Yeah… Just a little nervous.” 

Dream removes his hand. “You’ll do great, I just know it.” 

“Eh! His royal kingliness!” 

Everyone turns their attention up ahead. A man, short in height stands. His hair is jet black but mostly covered by a blue hat. He wears a blue tunic with black trousers. His face is smug yet inviting. He waves his hand. “¡Hola, mi amigos!” He calls. 

“Those they guys, your highness?” Ant asks skeptically.

George nods his head, swallowing back his fears. “Yes, they are.” 

George and his men approach. The man in the center, the one with the beanie smiles. “So,” He says. 

“L’manburg finally has a new king? Could be a nice change of pace.” 

The man’s words leave George a little uneasy but he tries to ignore it. Dream coughs into his hand. “You’re supposed to bow when meeting a king.”

George shoots a glance up at his knight. “Dream…” He wines. 

The man in the center laughs. “Ha! Yeah ok pal, let me just remind you.” 

He steps towards Dream. “You’re no longer in your kingdom. You’re in El Rapids baby! So, if anything, you should be bowing to me.” 

“Ok, sorry…” Dream grumbles. 

“Now anyway,” The blacked haired man says, turning his attention back to the king. 

He holds out his hand for a handshake. “I’m president Quackity of El Rapids.” 

George takes his hand and shakes it with a smile. “Pleasure, I’m King George of L’manburg.” 

Quackity lets go of the king’s hand. “Well, yeah. I knew that.” 

He looks behind him, at the other men standing. “This is my vice president, Jschlatt.” 

A man steps forward, he’s taller than Quackity. His face is square in shape and he has lambchop sideburns on his face. On either side of his head are ram horns. His smile is mischievous and manical. “Hello.” He says.

Quackity turns his attention to the next man. “And that is my sexy-tary-of state, Karl.” 

George coughs in alarm at the name. “I’m sorry, the what?” 

The man, Karl rolls his eyes and steps forward. “He means the secretary of state.” 

“No, I’m pretty sure I meant sexy-tary-of state.” 

Karl groans. He’s only slightly taller than Quackity. His hair is fluffy and a light brown. He wears a multicolored cloak, mostly consisting of purple. He takes a slight bow. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, your highness.” 

“And that,” Quackity says, pointing at the last man. 

“I don’t know who the fuck that is, he’s one of your guys.” 

A boy steps forward, his hair is blonde and his face is tired. He wears a purple heralding outfit and holds a scroll in his hands. “Purpled…” He sighs, taking his place beside the king. 

Quackity claps his hands. “Now, if you and your men could meet me inside, we can start the meeting.” 

With that, Quackity turns to leave, Jschaltt and Karl following behind him. George, Dream, Purpled, Ant, and Sapnap come in behind them.  
Upon stepping inside the building, George and his men are met with a dingy, run-down hall. George grits his teeth a bit. “It’s very… Homey…” He says.

Jschlatt laughs, looking over his shoulder to stare at the king. “Oh don’t kid yourself, this place is a total dump.”

“At least they’re self-aware.” Dream mumbles into George’s ear.

Ant looks around, taking in everything. Old wooden beams hold up the roof. There’s a very stained and quite chipped wooden table in the center of the room with rusty chairs surrounding it. Cobwebs hang from every corner of the building. This certainly wasn’t what the group expected to see upon arriving at El Rapids, George begins to see that maybe the people here are in more need of their help than L’manburg is in need of theirs. Quackity turns around, spreading his arms out with a grin. “Have a seat gentlemen.” 

George hesitantly makes his way towards one of the chairs. Dream comes up behind him, pulling it out. The chair makes an awful, ear-piercing screech against the stone floor. George takes his seat as every other man moves to sit down as well. Dream sits beside the king, Quackity sits at the other end of the table with his cabinet around him. George clasps his hand together, placing them up on the table with authority. He clears his throat. “So, I’m sure our herald, Purpled has already given you the word about what we're here to discuss?” 

The president nods. “Indeed he has, you’re in need of food?” 

George nods. “Yes, and it seems you,” 

He takes another look around the building, dusting collecting in his lungs, causing him to cough. “Are in need of many other resources.” 

Quackity leans back in his chair and sighs heavily. “Yeah, you’re parents didn’t give us much of anything when we separated from L’manburg to make our own country, they left us…” 

He searches for the word. “Impoverished,” Karl speaks up.

Quackity snaps his finger above his head and then points to Karl with a smile. “That’s it! See, this is why you’re my sexy-tary-of state.” 

Karl groans, looking down. “It’s secretary of state.” 

“I mean, I don’t know…” Sapnap chimes in.

Everyone turns their attention to the knight. He scratches his head and shrugs his shoulders. “He is kinda hot.” 

Karl’s eyes shoot wide in shock and his cheeks grow pink. Everyone stares agape at the knight. Ant takes a swift jab with his elbow to the man’s rib cage. Sapnap leans back a bit in his chair in pain. “I know right!” Quackity agrees. 

He looks to Karl once more, winking. “Quite the fella.” 

Karl buries his head in his hands with embarrassment, he groans into his palms. “Quackity… “ 

With the conversation completely derailed, George tries to bring the focus back to the issue at hand. He clears his throat. “Um, president Quackity.” 

Quackity snaps his head back over to the king. “Yeah?” 

George outstretches his hands and taps them to the dark oak table. “Can we please get back to the topic of concern?” 

“We are on the topic of concern, the topic being how attractive Karl is, I don’t call him my sexy-tary-of state for nothing.” 

Karl sinks further into his chair, looking as if he wished that he could disappear from the world.

“This guy is brutally incapable of running a country, who thought it’d ever be a good idea to give this idiot power?” George thinks. 

Suddenly, Jschlatt clears his throat, pushing up on the table with his hands till he’s standing. “That’s quite enough Mr. President, the king has a point. He came here to talk trade, not watch you flirt with the members of your cabinet.” 

“Thank you,” George mutters to himself.

Quackity leans back in his chair, propping his feet up on the table while rolling his eyes. “Alright, alright, fine.” 

He looks forward at the king, crossing his arms. “So, you wanna re-open trade between L’manburg and El Rapids?” 

George takes a deep breath to ground himself. “Yes, I think it’d be beneficial. Not just for my kingdom but also your country.” 

Quackity taps his fingers on his knee, skeptical. “I don’t know, last time your kingdom interacted with El Rapids, we didn’t end on such good terms.” 

George nods his head. “I’m well aware of that fact, but I’m not my parents. A new monarch also means a new way of running a kingdom. I mean, just look around.” 

George waves his hand in the air, gesturing to the room they sit in. “You are clearly in dire need of building resources, and we are in dire need of food.” 

Quackity looks up in thought. “That’s true, I suppose.” 

“So, if your people send us food, we will send you the materials you need to fix up your country, it’s a comfortable compromise.” 

Quackity says nothing for a moment, contemplating the king’s words. George holds his breath, his brow beginning to sweat. He clasps his hands tighter, waiting for an answer. Quackity brings his feet down from the table, shifting his look into something more serious. “Ok, that sounds like a fair deal.” 

George’s eyes light up. “So, you’ll do it?” 

Quackity shrugs his shoulders. “Sure,” 

George looks up at Dream, barely containing a smile. “However,” 

The king’s stomach drops. Oh, how he hates the “howevers.” George pans his attention back over to the cabinet, dreading the next words to leave the president’s mouth. “We need more than just materials.”

George sighs, regaining his serious composure. “Ok, sure. Name your price.” 

Quackity looks to his vice president who gives him a nod. He then shifts his gaze to the secretary of state, he too nods. Quackity clears his throat, looking George dead in the eyes, and speaks in a low tone of voice. “We want more land.” 

George nearly springs from the table at the suggestion. “I beg your pardon?” 

This time, Jschlatt pipes up with a word. “Yes, we need more land. Your parents gave us barely anything to work from when we started our country. Honestly, it’s less of a country and more of a small town. 

“But, land is an important part of keeping political power,” George replies. 

Jschlatt nods. “We know, that’s why we need it.” 

Quackity chimes back in. “Your parents gave us nothing when we departed from L’manburg, and while we may have an abundance of food. That is all we have. We’re trying to put our country on the map but we can’t do that with the size that it is right now.”

George jostles his words for a minute before responding. “But, that-that makes you more of a threat to my kingdom.” 

“Maybe so, but you gotta lose something in order to gain another.” 

George’s mind races with thoughts, putting him on edge. He doesn’t know what the right decision is. Dream can see George curling in on himself again to which he speaks for him. “Do you mind if you give us a day to think about it before making a decision?” 

Quackity turns to look at his cabinet, whispers to them for a minute or so. Dream places a hand on George’s shoulder, calming him down instantly. “Thanks…” He whispers, just loud enough for the knight to hear. 

“No problem.” Dream answers in a hush. 

Quackity clears his throat, turning the men’s attention back to him. “Yeah, we can give you a day.” 

George sighs a sigh of relief. “Do you think you’ll be staying in our city for the night?” Karl asks.

“I mean, none of us brought any nightclothes or had the intention to stay here overnight,” George says.

Karl gives a friendly smile. “Oh, that’s totally fine. We can provide you with a place to stay and some clothing. That is if you choose to stay.” 

George thinks for a moment, his mind jumps back and forth between the two options. He thinks to himself. 

“Well, if we stay overnight, it does give me more time to think about it.” 

His mind bounces to the downside. 

“However, I won’t have Bad to consult with, I’d have no one to advise m-” 

George cuts his train of thought short, he looks up at Dream, remembering the night before. How he’d help him come to the decision to even come to El Rapids in the first place. Dream is as good of counsel as any. George smiles and looks back over to Karl. “I think we will.” 

“Fantastic, I’ll go get things set up for you guys then if you’ll just follow me,” Karl says standing up. 

Dream leans over to George. “Stay overnight?” He questions. 

“Yeah, gives me more time to think about stuff. You know me, I suck making decisions under stress.” 

“Ok, but what about Bad?” 

George looks over to Purpled. “I’ll just send our herald back with a word about what I’m doing.” 

George pushes his chair back, moving to stand up and walking over to the young boy. “Purpled,” George says.

The blonde-haired boy immediately stands to his feet, keeping his head slightly low. “Yes, your highness?” 

“I need you to say this to the Royal Advisor, Bad.” 

The teenage boy pulls a scroll of parchment from his pocket along with a pen, he unrolls his and gets ready to write down the king’s words. Purpled nods, giving the king the signal he’s ready. George clears his throat. He speaks slowly and with clarity, giving the boy time to copy his words. “Tell Bad that I and my knights will be staying the night in El Rapids in order to finalize and settle the discussion of trade between our kingdom and their country. We should however be back by the evening of tomorrow.” 

Purpled jots down the words for a minute or two. “Got that all?” George asks.

The boy nods his head. “Yes, your highness.” 

George smiles. “Good, you better get a move on now though if you wish to get the word back in time.” 

The boy nods his head once more, waiting for the word to leave. “Be safe, you are dismissed,” George says.

With those orders, Purpled leaves the premises. “How do you think Bad’s gonna take it?” Dream asks.

George groans. “He’ll probably complain about it but what much does it matter? Now come on, we’re keeping the others.” 

George and Dream then move up to meet with the others. Nightfall eventually comes around. The king and his knights are set up in the only inn in all of El Rapids, each man to their own room. Dream rests against the wooden door to the king's room. A door from across the hall opens, revealing the knight’s close friend, Sapnap. He’s dressed in simple white nightwear. A long, white shirt and white stockings. Sapnap mimics his friend, leaning against his door frame and smiling devilishly. Dream sighs. “What do you want?” 

“Gee Dream, try to sound a little less excited about seeing me.” Sapnap jokes.

He looks behind him, at his room. “Those beds are rock hard, I’m gonna be so sore tomorrow.” 

“Yeah, they are fairly uncomfortable.” Dream notes.

Sapanap turns his head back to his friend and grins widely. “But I’m sure I won’t be as sore as the king will be after you’re done with him tonight.” 

Dream doesn’t pick up on his friend’s words right away but once he does, it hits him like a freight train. His face glows a deep red and lhe oses all composure. “What?!” He shouts. 

The man across him laughs, holding his stomach to try and contain himself. “Sapnap!” Dream continues. 

Dream takes a step forward, he can’t believe his friend would say something so vulgar. “I have half a mind to beat you senseless!” 

Sapnap wipes a stray tear from his eye and answers back between wheezes. “You didn’t deny it though.” 

“Nick! I swear to God!” 

Sapnap straightens his back a bit. “Oh, pulling out the real names, are we?” 

Dream ignores his friend’s words, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. “You can’t just say shit like that!”

Sapnap, unfazed, almost lifted off the ground replies with a kind smile and raising his hand in the air in submission. “Ok, ok. I’m sorry. I know the relationship between you and the king is,” 

Sapnap puts air quotations around his words. “‘Strictly professional.’ But even so,” 

The man looks at Dream as directly as he can. A shit-eating grin spreads across his face. He speaks lowly. “I bet you wished that was the case.” 

Dream’s face is completely consumed by red, both from being angry and flustered. He drops his friend and backs away. “You’re a pain in the ass Sapnap.” 

The smug knight crosses his arms. “You didn’t say no.” 

Dream rolls his eyes. “Ok, well no. I don’t wish that was the case, ok?” 

“Hmmm, little too late to backtrack on that one buddy.” 

“Um, excuse me, gentlemen.” 

The two turn their attention down the hall. A man stands there, he’s tall and quite thin. He wears a yellow sweater with brown pants. His hair is curly and a dark brown, upon his head is a red beanie. He looks friendly and speaks calmly. “Look, I know you guys are with the king and all but I am going to have to ask you to keep it down. We have other people staying here.” 

“Right, of course. Sorry about that.” Dream says.

“Not a problem.” The innkeeper replies before turning to walk away. 

After he’s out of view, Sapnap speaks, this time in a loud whisper. “Yeah Dreamy boy, better keep it down tonight.” He winks at the knight.

Dream reaches an index finger out at his friend- if you could even consider him that after the things he’d said- and speaks in an angered, hushed tone. “I fucking hate you.”

“No, you don’t,” Sapnap replies. 

Suddenly, the door to George’s room pops open, just revealing the king's head. Both men look at the him. George clears his throat. “Sir Dream, may I speak with you?” 

Dream nods his head. “Sure thing Sire.” 

Dream takes hold of the doorknob and pushes the door open. He takes one last look at Sapnap who simply gives him a suggestive wink. To this, Dream just rolls his eyes and groans. He enters the room and closes the door behind him. George, now just dressed in his royal blue tunic and brown trousers paces around the room, fiddling with his fingers. “What did you need, Sire?” Dream asks.

George looks up from the ground, he takes a deep breath, approaching the knight. “Listen,” He begins.

“I really hate to keep putting you on the spot to help me make decisions but I need your help again to do just that.” 

Dream raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” 

“I…” George stutters.

He comes forward, placing his hands on Dream’s shoulders to which the knight jolts a bit. George brings his eyes up to look at Dream. He has the same desperate look as the night before. “I need your advice on what to do regarding El Rapids and the land.” 

Dream feels his stomach tie in knots. “Oh,” Is all he says in response.

George removes his hands, letting them drop to his sides. “Obviously I don’t need a response right now, I want to sleep on it first but your guidance would be greatly appreciated, especially since Bad isn't here.”

He looks up at his knight once more, pleading. “Will you help me?” 

Dream feels a lump develop in the back of his throat, a tad bit of heat rises to his cheeks. “Um...I mean, y-yeah… Sure… “ 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, I mean… I can help.” 

George bursts into joy, pulling Dream into a hug. “Oh my God, you-” 

He cuts himself off, realizing how uncalled for that action was. George pulls away, Dream stands stiff, the heat from cheeks increasing. George coughs into his hand, looking away from Dream. “I mean… Thank you.” 

“Y-yeah, don’t mention it.” 

The two boys stand in unbearable silence until Dream cuts through it. He brings a hand up to rub the back of his neck. “Guess we both better get some shut-eye then, huh?” 

“Y-yeah… We should.” George replies.

The boys continue in silence, both not moving from their positions for a couple of minutes. Dream takes a step back, placing a hand on the metal doorknob. “Well, good night then.” He says, opening the door.

George waves his hand slightly. “Good night.” 

Dream exits the room, closing the door behind him quickly. His heart beats out of his chest. He brings a hand up to clutch at his green tunic while another hand stays plastered to the wall. “Wow, that sure was quick,” Sapnap says, peering out his room. 

Dream glares at his friend through his helmet. He’s glad that he can’t see how red he is, it’d be the death of Dream’s ego if he could. “Piss off Sapnap.” Dream hisses, making his way to his room next door. 

“Good night to you too Dream.” 

Dream opens the door to his room, looking over his shoulder to say one more thing. “I hate you.” 

Sapnap smirks and replies playfully. “Love you too.” 

With that, both boys shut the doors to their rooms and move to drift off to sleep.


	10. Then Lets Make a Deal

Morning comes, George stands outside of the inn, leaning against the building. He rubs his back, he got little to no sleep. George might just submit to Quackity’s demands if it means that nobody ever has to sleep on such horrendous mattresses again. He looks around. The city is just beginning to wake up. Birds chip in the air, acting as alarm clocks. The sun rises, the orange and pink hues from sunrise melting in the crisp blueness of the day. “Morning, your highness.” 

George turns his head to the side. There stands his knight in shining armour. He smiles. “Good morning.” 

“How’d you sleep?” Dream asks.

George goes back to rubbing his stiff lower back. He groans. “Terribly.” 

“Yeah, so did I.” Dream sighs. 

The two men look out at the city in silence, taking in the sights of El Rapids. It’s peaceful and offers a nice distraction from the pressure the king is under. However, he knows he can’t ignore it. “You wanna walk around town and discuss stuff?” George asks.

Dream looks down at the king. “Sure, if it’ll help you think better.” 

George moves away from the wall, Dream coming up to his side. The two take to the broken cobblestone streets. They pass many buildings, roofs made of straw and walls made of spare wood, it’s rather sad to see. George frowns, biting his lip. “You ever been to El Rapids before?” Dream asks. 

“Yeah, once when I was a kid but I seriously don’t remember it being in this bad a shape.” 

People pass by, children at their sides, others sweeping their front steps. The two get passing glances and whispers, many scowl and scoff at the sight of the king. George begins to feel a tad bit uneasy, he grips his cape tighter to himself. Dream tilts his head in response, concerned. “Cold, Sire?” 

George shakes his head, locking his eyes to the ground. The stares are unbearable, they pierce him, looking straight through him, ready to devour him, but he can’t lose composure. “No, I’m not cold just a little…” 

He diverts his eyes from the ground to look at the people passing by. He locks eyes with an older woman for a minute. She scowls, looking at George like he was the scum of the Earth. George swallows hard. “Off put…” 

“Did you wanna go back to the inn?” Dream asks.

George nods his head slightly. The two men turn around, walking back the way they came. Only within a couple of minutes of making their way back to the inn, a voice interrupts them. “Oi! You’re the new king aight ya?” 

Both Dream and George turn around to see who’s speaking. The men are met with a young man. He’s fairly tall. His hair is blonde and matted. He wears a weather-worn red tunic with equally torn up brown pants. The kid looks like a rat. Both men recognize this boy right away, Dream scowls. “Hey, you’re that brat, Tommy!” 

The boy smiles devilishly at being recognized. He dusts his shoulders off a bit as he speaks. “Well, indeed I am. Am I a celebrity now or something?” 

Dream grinds his teeth, taking a heavy step forward. “No, you’re just a thief, a gold looting, apple stealing thief!” 

Dream’s words don’t seem to have the effect he wants on the boy, in fact, they do quite the opposite. Tommy seems to get a kick out of Dream’s insults. “Oh, is that my legacy?” 

Dream sputters, irked at the smart-ass’ remarks. “Yes, it’s your legacy! It’s all you’re known for around L’manburg!” 

Tommy grins. “So, that does make me famous?” 

Dream throws his head back angrily, if he wasn’t in someone else's country, he’d beat the boy to a palp. “Dream.” George tries to calm the man but his words don’t hit him.

“You devious boy, you stole from the castle, didn’t you?” 

Tommy reaches into his pocket, pulling out an apple. He tosses it in the air and then catches it, taking a bite out of it. He speaks with his mouth open. “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. You’ve got no evidence.” 

Dream clenches his fist. That’s just the problem with Tommy, everyone knows he’s a thief but nobody can throw him behind bars because there’s never enough solid evidence to. Dream begins to walk forward, he doesn’t care if it’s illegal, he’s gonna beat the shit out of this boy. Or at least, he would if it weren’t for George placing a gentle hand to his chest. Dream stops moving, looking to the king. His face is still and calm. He speaks just loud enough for the knight to hear. “Don’t waste your breath. You’re just feeding into his ego.” 

Dream relaxes a bit, he has a point. He turns his attention to Tommy once more. “I’ve got my eye on you.” He says. 

“Tommy?!” A new voice enters the scene. 

The three look around to see where it could be coming from. The innkeeper runs up to the teenage boy, holding what looks to be firewood in his hands. His face is stern with anger. “Where the bloody blazes did you go?” 

Tommy looks up at the man. “Sorry Will, I was just chatting with the king.” 

He points to George. The innkeeper, Will, turns his head, nearly dropping the wood. He places it in the boy’s arms. He excitedly walks over to the king and bows. It’s a little off-putting for George to say the least, and definitely a change in tone between the two boys. “Your highness, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He continues to bow, unmoving.

He stays like that for quite some time. Tommy groans and rolls his baby blue eyes in the background, George stands confused, unsure of what to do. Dream leans in. “I think he’s waiting for you to tell him to rise.” 

“Oh!” George exclaims.

He awkwardly lifts his hand in an upward motion. “Um… Rise.” 

Will lifts his head, a smile meets his face. “ Hello, your majesty! I’m Wilbur, I saw you yesterday but I never had the chance to say hello, it’s truly an honour to meet you. Welcome to our humble country.” 

Tommy audible groans at the innkeeper’s words. Will sighs, pointing to the boy. “I see you’ve met my brother Tommy, I hope he didn’t give you too much trouble.” 

Tommy makes mocking, ridiculous faces at the king and his knight, mostly the knight. “Yeah, he’s been a real pain in the-” Dream begins before being jab in the side by George’s elbow.

“Ow!” Dream yells. 

George keeps a forced smile on his face while muttering words to his friend. “Be nice, we want to leave a good impression on this guy.” 

Dream rubs his side and sighs. “He’s… He’s been fine… “ Dream says unenthusiastically. 

Will smiles. “Oh that’s good, I was just collecting some firewood for the inn, my brother here, who’s just staying with me for the week was.” 

The innkeeper shoots an angry glare at his brother and raises his voice. “Supposed to help me!” 

Tommy smiles sheepishly to which the older brother turns back around, plastering another smile on. “But I guess he got sidetracked.” 

Before George can get a word in, Will continues. “We were just heading back to the inn, you could join us if you wish. That is unless you had other things to do.”

George looks up at Dream, looking to his knight for an idea of what to do. Dream simply shrugs. “Um…” George begins.

“I mean, we were heading back there anyway. However, we have things we need to discuss.” 

“Oh, not a problem. Wouldn’t want to interrupt your kingly endeavors.” Will says in response. 

He looks behind him. Tommy stands impatiently, like a kid trapped in the market after their mum ran into an old friend. “Come on Tommy, let's go.” Will waves a hand towards himself. 

Tommy reluctantly follows. “See you around, your majesty!” Will says before leaving. 

Tommy merely sticks out his tongue to signal his goodbye which is met by a thorough smack to the head from his brother. Both Dream and George stand in the street, watching the brothers walk away in mesmerizing shock. “So, that was Tommy…” George starts. 

“Yep, the thief.” Dream finishes.

“And the innkeeper, Will is his-” 

“Brother…” 

“And Tommy’s brother is also-” 

“Technoblade, the terrorist exile.” 

George looks up at his knight puzzled. “How on God’s gracious Earth is Will related to either of those boys?” 

“You took the words out of my mouth Sire.” 

The two continue to stand shocked that the innkeeper could have possibly come from a family of royalty-hating, crime-committing sons but they try to not dwell on it too long, there are more pressing matters. George shakes himself. “Let's just get back to the inn, I don’t think I can stand to be out in these streets any longer.” 

“I agree with you on that one.” 

Dream and George continue to walk back to the inn, mostly in silence the whole way. However, once the old wooden, single-story inn comes into view, Dream raises a question. “So, you said you’d sleep on the proposition. Have you given it any thought?” 

“Yeah, it kept me up all night. Well, that and the terrible beds.” 

The two share a good laugh. The men come to stand at the side of the inn, still in the sunlight but also under the shadow the building casts on the ground. George crosses his arms and taps his foot to the ground. “I just… I don’t know, more land? That’s asking a lot.” 

“I suppose, but I guess at the end of the day you have to ask yourself what matters to you more.” 

George raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean,” 

Dream uses his hands to illustrate a scale. “Where do your priorities lie? What do you see as more important? Political power and influence or the needs of the people?” 

George pounders on this as Dream continues to explain. “Cause, on the one hand, giving El Rapids more of your land does place you at a disadvantage politically. People might see you as a pushover or weak for it.”

George bites his nails. “That’s true.”

“But, if you don’t take the offer. The people will continue to starve and your public opinion will also probably suffer for it.” 

“That’s also true.” 

George runs his hands through his hair in frustration. “Ack! Why does this king stuff have to be so hard? It’s a damned if you do, damned if you don't type situation.” 

“I guess that’s the struggle of being a leader. Someone’s always gonna disagree with you no matter what choice you make.” 

“Yeah…” George sighs. 

He scans the area with his eyes. “I need to sit down to think about this… “ 

“I can help with that!” 

Both men jump at the unexpected voice. Turning around, they can see it’s just Wilbur. He still smiles gleefully. George’s eyes narrow. “How long have you been there?” He asks.

“Oh no long, just long enough to hear you needed a place to sit. Come, follow me!” 

George and Dream exchange looks before following the odd British man. He brings them to a bench beside the inn, placed right in front of an unlit pile of wood, presumably for a fire. Stacks of wood line up behind them. “Right here,” Will says, pointing to the dingy bench. 

George takes his seat with Dream right beside him, it’s a tad bit of a squeeze. The two men brushed shoulder-to-shoulder. “If you need anything else, give me a holler,” Wilbur says.

“We will, thank you for your hospitality.” George thanks. 

Wilbur scurries off, leaving the two men to their conversation. “So…” George begins.

“So,” Dream echoes.

“What do you think I should do?” George asks with a sigh.

“Well, I can’t tell you what to do. You’re the king, that’s ultimately your decision. I can tell you though what I think is best.” 

George looks up at the knight, listening. “What do you think is best then?” 

Dream looks back down. “Well, personally I’d just conform to Quackity’s terms but maybe I’m just being influenced by my experiences.” 

George looks to the grass floor, insistently tapping his foot. Lines of stress appear on his face. “Hey,” 

Dream places a hand on George’s shoulder, comforting him. George looks up at his knight. “While I can’t decide for you, either way, I want you to know I won’t be mad at you regardless of what you choose to do.” 

“You won’t?” 

Dream shakes his head. “You have valid reasons for choosing both, I can only imagine the stress you are under.” 

George sighs, he hates to make a choice but the time to do such is dawning upon him. “Your highness, King George!” 

The two men look up from their spots. The herald, Purpled comes running, jumping off his horse and approaching him. He pulls a scroll out of his pocket. “Oh, Purpled. You’re back.” 

The boy stops in front of the king and takes a knee, bowing. “I’ve got word from Bad for you, do you wish to hear your highness?” 

George nods. “Of course, tell me. You may rise.” 

The boy comes to his feet and begins to unroll the brown parchment. He holds it out, clearing his throat to speak. “Dear King George, Thank you for updating me on the situation at hand. While I would’ve preferred if you consulted me about such a matter first, I trust that you will make the right decision regarding this matter. Please do keep in mind what is at stake and be safe. With kindest regards, Your Royal Advisor and friend, Bad.” 

Purpled rolls the letter shut. “Thank you,” George says.

“Also, president Quackity requests for your appearance at this moment, he wishes to finalize the deal.” Purpled carries on to say.

George bites his lip, looking up at Dream and then back at the herald. “So soon?” 

Purpled nods to which the king groans. He moves to stand up. “Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to rip the bandaid off. You are dismissed, Purpled.” 

The boy nods, moving out of the way of the king. Dream follows behind George as they make their way to the city hall. Once they approach, Quackity is waiting with his cabinet. He stands, grin aglow and hands behind his back. “So, you made up your mind? What’s it gonna be?” 

George trembles a bit but bites down on the nerves, he takes a step forward so he’s more face-to-face with the president. “Yes, I have.” 

“Ok then, what’s it gonna be, Mr. King?” 

The pros and cons fly about George’s mind, consuming his whole being. If every deal he was going to make as king was gonna feel this dreadful, he didn’t know if he could go on being in power. George takes a deep breath to ground himself. “I’ll agree to your terms and conditions.” 

Quackity grins, stretching out for a handshake. George raises a finger to silence the man, now it’s his turn for the “however.” “However, you must agree to sign a peace treaty between my kingdom and your country.” 

“A peace treaty?” Quackity asks.

George nods. “I need to know you won’t turn on me the moment I’m done giving you what you want, so yes. I will agree to give you materials and land in return for food, only if we both sign a peace treaty.” 

Quackity thinks on the proposition for a minute. He smiles, stretching out his hand once more. “Alright, fair is fair. Sounds like a deal.” 

George smiles brightly, taking Quackity’s hand and giving it a firm shake. “Brilliant, I’ll have someone draft up the treaty once I get back home and we can discuss the amount of land that will be given another day.” 

“Sounds great, nice doing business with you, your highness.” 

The men let go of each other. Quackity smiles sweetly, a look George isn’t used to seeing. The president crosses his arms. “You know, you just might be the change that kingdom needs.” 

George nods his head in gratitude. “Thank you, but I best be on my way home now.” 

George turns to leave but not before being called out to once more. “Wait! Before you go!” 

George looks over his shoulder. There stands Karl, his face flushed and a small piece of paper is pressed between his fingers. He scratches his chin a bit. “Could you um… Give this to your knight. You know, the one who’s got pretty black hair and told me I was hot the other day?” 

George hesitantly grabs the paper. “Sure, what for?” 

“It’s ah… My address, you know… In case he wanted to mail me for something…” 

“Hold on!” Quackity yells. 

“Karl, you’re supposed to be my bitch! You’re my sexy-tary-of state!” 

Karl spins around in a huff. “No! I’m not your bitch, I’ll be whoever's bitch I want to be. Also, it’s secretary of state!”

George can’t help but feel like he got caught in the cross-fire of some melodramatic teenage drama. Jschaltt laughs a bit, swinging an arm over Quackity’s shoulder. “Eh, it’s fine. He’s still got me.” 

Karl sighs, looking back to the king. “Will you?” He asks once more.

George nods, a bit uneasy. “Sure… I can do that.” 

“Awesome!” Karl exclaims. 

“See you around, your highness!” 

George waves goodbye walking away with Dream. “Well, that certainly was something…” George says.

“Yeah, but on the bright side. Look, you did it.” 

George looks up at Dream, puzzled. “I did what?” 

Dream looks back. “You made your first big decision as king.” 

George looks ahead, processing everything that happened. He laughs in disbelief. “Ha, yeah… I really did, didn’t I?” 

“I did it!” George joyfully proclaims. 

Dream laughs a bit, his heart warming to see his friend so happy. “Yeah, you did. Good job king.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the support, it means the world to me :)


	11. Panic Begins to Rise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What the hell is school and homework, all I know is write fanfiction. 
> 
> (Someone, please help me. I'm being kept in a basement, locked away. The guys says he'll murder my family if I don't finish writing this fanfic /s /j)

The carriage approaches the castle, home at last. George feels a calmness come over him, he knows that making peace and rebuilding the bridges between L’manburg and El Rapids are far from finished but knowing that they’re on the right foot is enough to put him at ease. They come to a stop, George looks out the small window, seeing Bad, awaiting him. He has a gentle smile on his face. The door is opened by one of the knights, George steps out with Dream just behind him. “Welcome back, your highness. I hope all went well.” Bad greets. 

“Things went splendid, we’ve successfully reopened trade with El Rapids again,” George says.

Bad claps his hands together and grins, beaming from ear-to-ear. “That’s so good to hear.” 

“Yeah, we’ll need to draft up a peace treaty and such. Hopefully, we can get that started today?” 

Bad winces a bit. “Actually, we might have to put that on hold for a minute.”

George raises an eyebrow, concerned. “Why is that?” 

Bad scratches the bottom of his chin with his finger, tensing up. “There’s someone who wishes to meet with you as soon as possible.” 

George’s stomach tightens, worry creeps up his spine. “Who exactly is it?” 

“It’s...It’s King Eret of Euphoria…” 

The words come crashing down on the king. He feels his stomach drop, his face fills up with dread. “K-king Eret?” He asks.

Bad simply nods. “He’s requested to meet with you as soon as possible.” 

“Did he say why he wanted to meet with me?” 

The advisor shakes his head. “No, he just said it was imperative for you to meet him at your earliest convenience.” 

George runs a hand through his locks of hair. Euphoria and L’manburg are on awful terms. During the reign of George’s parents. The two kingdoms nearly went to war over the issues of trade and threatening power. Out of all the kingdoms George wanted to confront, Euphoria was nowhere even close to being within the top one hundred. Bad tilts his head, worry meets his eyes. “So, what are you gonna do, King George?” 

George stands in silence, thinking. While meeting with King Eret is the last thing he wants to do, he doesn’t want to keep them waiting. It’d be rude. So George swallows his nerves and stands up straight. He takes a deep, calm, and collected breath. “Tell him he can see me tomorrow afternoon.” 

Bad nods, pulling out his book to jot down the king's words. “Can do, I’ll send Purpled out right away.” 

With it, Bad walks off to send the herald off with his words. George sighs heavily, clutching his robe tightly in his fists. Dream comes up behind. “You ok, Sire?” 

George shakily nods his head. “Yeah, doing fine…” 

He looks up at Dream. “You mind if we take a walk through the orchard?” George asks.

Dream nods, leading the king towards the orchard. “Yeah, we can do that.” 

The two walk through the apple orchard, it’s rich and with the start of fall coming. The leaves begin to change into pretty shades of red, orange, and yellow. Servants are scattered about, picking the best of the bunch, preparing for the harvest. It’s a calming place that George often visits when he needs to get a load off his mind. “Nervous?” Dream asks.

“You’ve got no idea. Look,” 

George holds out his hands for Dream to see. They tremble. “I’m shaking already.” 

His palms sweat profusely, beads of sweat roll off his fingers, hitting the ground like rain. Dream tries to calm the king with his words, speaking softly. “I’m sure it won’t be so bad.” 

“How do you know that?” George asks.   
George kicks at the ground, his anxieties rising with every step. “For all, I know the guy could be trying to declare war on us!” 

“George…” 

“What if he hates me?” 

“George..” 

“What if he thinks I’m a total sleaze, unfit to lead this kingdom?” 

“George.” 

“I mean, maybe I am a sleaze, God! What will happen if he thinks I’m a terrible king? What will that do to my public opinion?” 

“George!” 

The king’s rambling gets cut off by Dream yelling. Two strong hands land on George's shoulders, turning him to look at Dream. Admittedly, the king turns a little flushed in the face. “George,” Dream speaks softly. 

“You gotta stop assuming that the worst is gonna happen. I mean, look at you.” 

George looks up and down himself, he’s stiff as a board but still trembling. “You’re shaking like a leaf, you gotta pull yourself together man.” 

George takes a deep breath, letting his shoulder drop. “You-you’re right… I’m kind of overreacting here. It’s just…” 

George rubs his forearm with his hand, keeping his eyes to the grass floor. “It’s stressful being king. You gotta always put on this show that things are better than they actually are.” 

Dream lets his palms relax against George. “And I get that, it’s totally understandable. I can’t imagine anybody else in your shoes would fair any better, however,” 

Dream let’s go of George, reaching a hand over to one of the apple trees. He searches about the many branches until he finds the fruit he wishes to pick. He turns it, letting it snap off. “You’re kinda like an apple.” 

George raises an eyebrow. “Excuse me?” 

Dream looks back over at him. “Give me a minute to explain,” 

Dream places the fruit so it sits in the middle of his palm, holding it out for George to see. “The outside, that crisp, unblemished red skin is what the world sees. It looks perfect.” 

George crosses his arms and giggles. “Well, it doesn’t look red to me. It’s kind of a yellowish, brown.” 

Dream groans, sometimes he forgets George is colourblind. “Ok, well just pretend it’s red.” 

George hums in response. “Hmm, can’t pretend to see a colour I’ve never seen before.” 

Dream chuckles with a tinge of annoyance. “You’re ruining my perfect metaphor!” 

George uncrosses his arms, smiling brightly. “Ok, ok, sorry. You may continue.” 

“Thank you.” Dream says.

He clears his throat. “Now, the apple. A nice, red. Or to you, a nice brownish, yellow. It looks perfect, it looks presentable. However,”

Dream turns the apple around, there’s a hole dug inside, it looks to be rotting from the inside out, infested with bugs. “It’s gone all spoiled inside, which makes it inedible.” 

“Where exactly are you going with this?” George asks.

Dream raises a finger, pressing it to George’s lips. “I’m getting there.” He drops his finger.

“See, it doesn’t matter how pretty the apple looks if the inside is spoiled. It’s no good, the entire fruit as gone to waste,” 

Dream tosses the apple to the ground, looking at George. “Likewise, it doesn’t matter how good of a first impression you make, or how you look like you have it together. If you can’t get your own personal life under control, the parts nobody else sees, you’ll never be able to lead this kingdom efficiently."

He places a hand back on George’s shoulder. “And I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to worry about stuff every now and again, but I am saying that you need to stop freaking out over every single thing that comes at you. A bit of worry is ok, but it’s seriously not healthy to start overthinking everything that much.” 

Dream lightly places a finger to George’s forehead, causing the king’s cheeks to heat up in alarm. “You’ll get stuck in your own head, become a worrywart and if that happens,” Dream’s finger drops, letting his hand land on George’s other shoulder.

“How are you ever going to lead this kingdom down the right path?” 

George takes a moment to soak up the words his friend said. Before that moment, George hadn’t quite realized how much he truly worried about stuff. Dream did have a point, it wasn’t healthy. George sighs, bringing his hands up to grip Dream’s forearms lightly. “Your right… I have been overthinking everything, I’m sorry you had to deal with that.” 

“Hey,” 

Dream’s thumb and index finger come to rest on George’s chin as he lightly raises it so he’s looking at him in the eye (or more so at his helmet). George feels his heartbeat quicken at the action. “You don’t need to apologize to me, I’m just trying to look out for you. I worry for you, you know that right?” 

Something about the way Dream speaks to George strikes a chord with his emotions, plucking away at his heartstrings like a harp. He feels his heart twist with butterflies at Dream’s delicate words. He could indulge in this moment for eternity but snaps himself back to reality. George chuckles slightly. “What are you now, Bad? Cause you’re starting to sound like him.” 

Dream sighs, letting his hands drop and pulling away from George. The two continue to walk through the many rows of trees. “I might as well be, you’ve almost completely replaced him with me. Dude’s gonna be out of a job soon thanks to me.” 

A belly wrenching laugh escapes George’s stomach. Dream heart flutters a bit upon hearing his friend laugh, he’d be lying if he didn’t think it was the best laugh in all the land. George looks up at Dream, eyes soft and tender in his facial expression. “Thanks, Dream, again.” 

“What for?” Dream asks.

“Just for everything, you’re the best friend and knight a king could ask for.” 

George playfully hits Dream in the shoulder. Dream feels his face flush up, grateful that his helmet masks him. “Aww, no problem George. It’s an honour to serve at your side.” 

The two boys continue to walk about   
the orchard, striking up playful conversation with each other and joking till sunset. For those few hours, all worries, all concerns for the future seems to disintegrate. It’s just them, just two men, two friends soaking up every moment they spend together. Cherishing it, like a precious treasure. It’s just the two of them and in those hours, they are whole, they are complete.


	12. Preparing to Face the Giant

George bounces his leg while tapping his fingers on his knee. The carriage had just set out for the kingdom of Euphoria. He tries to swallow his bubbling anxiety but it’s overwhelming. A gentle hand lands on his knee, causing the king to jump a bit in alarm. George’s eyes divert from the ground, meeting Dream’s. He’s once again wearing his circular mask with a simplistically drawn smile on it. His eyes pop out from two cut out holes in between the drawn on dots. It’s ridiculous and George can’t help but giggle a bit upon seeing it. Dream tilts his head in confusion and speaks lightheartedly. “What are you laughing about?” 

“It’s nothing. Just your mask.” 

“What? You don’t like it?”

George gently places a hand on top of Dream’s still chuckling. “It just looks silly is all.” 

Dream moves his fingers so they intertwine with George’s. He lists their interlocked hands. “Aww, but George,” 

He winks. “I do it just for you.” 

George’s face immediately burns up, letting go of Dream’s hand and turning to head to look away and out of the carriage window. “You’re such an idiot.” He tries to play it off. 

“I suppose, but that’s what you like about me.” 

George scoffs lightheartedly. “Maybe, but that still doesn’t mean you’re not an idiot or that,” 

George reaches over, flicking Dream’s mask with his fingers. “This mask of yours isn’t stupid.” 

Dream leans back, clutching a hand at his silver armour, right above where his heart is. He looks almost cartoonishly devastated. “Ouch, George. I’ll have you know I made this myself.” 

George eyes him up and down, cracking a smirk. “Yeah, clearly.” 

Dream lets out an over-exaggerated gasp. “His Royal Highness, King George Davidson,” 

George gags at hearing the full title. Dream continues. “Are you insulting my arts and crafts abilities?” 

George stifles a laugh, crossing his arms over his chest in a playful manner. “I’m insulting your ability to draw. What even is that?”

George points a finger out, rotating it around in a circular motion to gesture to his friend’s mask. “It’s two black dots with a smile in between. It looks like a toddler drew it, how do you expect anyone to take you seriously with that on?” 

Dream huffs, almost offended by the king’s words. “I think it gives it charm. Plus, it’s cute, don't ya think?” 

George rolls his eyes. “Ok, maybe but is that really the look you want to be going for as the appointed knight of the king of L’manburg?” 

Dream shugs. “It’s a ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ situation. Besides, I did say it was for your eyes only.” Dream ends his sentence with a wink, causing George’s face to flush. 

“Yeah, ok. Whatever you dork.” 

The two boys fall into a comfortable silence, George going back to look out the window. The rolling hills of the countryside bob up and down with every passing second. Wildflowers line the fields, swaying gently in the breeze. The sun, out but obscured by the many colours that litter the sky, causing a slight overcast. It’s a beautiful fall day but George can’t seem to focus on that for more than a minute before his mind wanders and floods with thoughts. 

He thinks about what is to come, who he has to meet. The fogginess and lack of clarity in the need for George’s appearance plague him, haunts him. He knows he shouldn’t think of the worst first, Dream told him that, but he can’t help it. While there could be good reasoning for King Eret asking for George’s appearance. Given the two kingdoms' track records and the lack of a clear reason for an immediate meeting leaves a sour pit in the bottom of George’s stomach. 

He goes back to bouncing his leg, letting his thoughts leach away at his consciousness. It’s almost all-consuming. His mind slips into a dark, deep abyss of negativity. His mind swarms like a tornado of worst-case scenarios. His vision begins to blur as his focus remains only on the small window to the outside. The hills propelling him towards the castle, the sky growing dark, the sun nearly obscured. He’s trapped, he is lost.   
“Hey, George?” 

The words slowly snap the king back to the present. He snaps his head around. Dream, leaning forward with a gentle hand outstretched with caution. His eyes carry gentleness and worry. “You good?” He asks softly. 

George opens his mouth to say a simple “I’m fine” but a different response trembles out. “No… Not really.” 

His knee still violently shakes, moving up and down. George’s fingers twitch and tangle in between each other. His shoulders are stiff, he feels like a scared animal in need of rescue. Dream approaches slowly, placing his hand back down on the other man’s knee. It brings George an odd sense of comfort, causing his shoulders to relax and breathing begins to regulate. “You wanna talk about it?” Dream asks, carrying caution in his tone. 

George hesitates for a minute, “I… I really don’t wanna burden you with my problems…” 

Dream sighs, reaching out his hand to grab one of George’s. George feels a jolt ring through his body, quite like electricity. A small amount of heat rises to his face. Dream takes George’s small, delicate hand and holds it between both of his tough, rough hands. Dream mummers his words with care. “Your problems aren’t burdensome to me. Don’t you ever shy away from telling me stuff, ok?” 

George can do nothing but nod, face starstruck. Dream chuckles a bit, letting his hands drop into George’s lap, still holding the king’s hand in his own. “Now, did you want to talk about it?” He asks again.

George’s throat grows dry as he stares at the big, and secure hands clasped around his own. He isn’t sure why this action has put him into such a state of daze but he tries to push it down, not to think about it too hard. George swallows hard, feeling his fingernails curling ever so slightly into Dream’s palm as he speaks. “I guess I’m still nervous about today is all.” 

Dream hums, signaling that he’s listening attentively.   
“Which, I know, I know I shouldn’t be overthinking this as much as I am but… I’m totally overthinking this.” 

George feels his Adam's apple bob a bit, causing his breath to hitch with his next words. His fingers curl more into Dream’s hand to which the knight tightens his grip, squeezing lightly. “And I know you said I need to get my personal life under control and stop worrying about everything so much but… But I can’t I-I just,” 

George shoots his free hand up to wipe away at the stray tears now threatening to leave his eyes. “I can’t! I can’t Dream and I’m scared…I’m lost and I don’t… I don’t know what the fuck I’m su-supposed to do… Or how to do anything right… I just,” 

The tears begin to roll down George’s cheeks causing the man’s efforts to stop them grows more vigorous. “I...I don’t wanna do this alone… I feel so, so very alone… I just-I can't- I, I-” 

George’s words are abruptly interrupted by a warm and steady hand coming up to caress George’s cheek. The hand draws the king’s head up from the ground, meeting Dream’s gaze once more. His eyes carry warmth and sincerity. Dream’s thumb lightly brushes under George’s eye, wiping away tears. “Oh George,” He sighs. 

“You’re not alone.”

George sniffles, leaning into his friend’s comforting hand. “I’m not?” 

Dream shakes his head, a light smile meeting his eyes. “You’ve got me, you’ve got Bad, fuck dude. You’ve got the whole royal court,”

Dream’s hand drops from George’s cheek, grabbing at his other hand. Dream sighs. “Perhaps I was a bit too harsh on you the other day. I just hate to see you so stressed.” 

Dream squeezes George’s hands a bit to reassure him. “It’s ok to be stressed out about stuff, you just have to find a healthy balance. It’s ok to worry a bit but worrying so much so that you send yourself into a panic attack isn’t ok.” 

George’s gaze is stuck to the floor as he listens. “Hey,” 

One of Dream’s hands leaves George. A couple of gentle fingers rest themselves on George’s chin, gently raising his gaze from the ground. Dream stares into George’s eyes tenderly yet sternly. He drops his fingers and brings his hand back to grab one of George’s. “Even if you feel like your back is pinned against a wall, even if you got one-hundred men against you, even if you feel like your world is spiraling out of control,” 

Dream gently guides one of George’s hands up and presses it lightly against Dream’s chest plate. George shivers a bit upon contact. “I’ll still be with you, right by your side.” 

For a minute or so, neither boy says a word. They simply bask in the calming presence of one another’s company. George has a considerable amount of blush on his face but he couldn’t seem to care at that moment. George feels safe, he feels protected, he feels cared for and that’s all the reassurance he needed. Dream gently lets go of George’s hands. George brings his hands to gently rest in his lap, he takes one long and slow, deep breath. “Thank you for that.” He whispers.

Dream smiles and replies in a low hum. “Anytime,”

The two don’t talk for the rest of the trip, they simply sit in silence, knowing. No matter what happens, no matter what giants they have to face, they at least won’t have to face them alone. Because they have each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took me forever to get out of that writer's block but I did it! Sorry about not posting as much, I hope you enjoyed though. Thanks for all the support and love on this book.


	13. Biting the Bullet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be popping out chapters pretty fast today because I got a random burst of inspiration to write.

George looks out the window, the castle is approaching. The carriage treads over a nicely laid out cobblestone bridge, crossing over a moat of water. George hadn’t had much time to look out at the sights and town of Euphoria through the small carriage window, he was too busy trying to calm his nerves. However, Dream’s reassuring words were quite helpful in his efforts to ease his mind. The carriage and coach come to a stop. George feels his stomach drop. One of Dream’s hands comes back down to rest on George’s knee. He looks up, Dream is no longer wearing the mask with the dorky drawn on smile, but rather his normal metallic knight’s helmet. George isn’t sure when Dream changed back over into it but he almost feels sad upon seeing him wear it again. For as much as George teased Dream about it, he had a point. It did have charm, a charm that George adored. “You ready?” Dream asks.

George takes a heavy and shaky breath, trying to stabilize himself. “I’m not sure but there’s really no backing out of it now.” 

Dream gently squeezes George’s knee. “Just remember, I’m with you.” 

George nods, feeling warmth building in his chest. Suddenly, the carriage door swings open, Dream lets go of George’s knee. George straightens his back and tries to look as proper and put together as he can. It’s Ant. “We’re here, your highness.” He says.

George takes one more deep breath, he knows he has to be strong, show no fear and bite the bullet, or arrow if you will. George looks back once more at Dream and while he can’t see his eyes he can still feel their calming and reassuring presence. The king turns back to Ant who stands at attention. One hand on the door handle and another outstretched for George to take. George takes it, stepping down carefully, Dream follows just behind. 

George nearly gasps upon seeing the castle. It’s huge, and a marvellous white. The windows are all stained glass, all lined like the colours of the rainbow. It’s magnificent. “Hello, gentlemen.” 

All eyes divert away from the castle and change to gaze upon the person speaking. A young man stands, he wears a green robe with a light brown tunic underneath. His hair is a fluffy dark brown. His face is youthful, he couldn’t be older than seventeen. Beside him stands two knights. Both have masks covering the lower halves of their faces and stand quite higher than the boy.  
The one to the boy’s left is tall and thin, almost lengthy. His skin is split in colour. One half is black with his eye being green. The other half is white with his eye being red. His hair is also a half and half colour, also consisting of black and white.  
The man to the boy’s right is taller than the half and half man. He wears a green mask to match his unnaturally green coloured hair. He wears golden armour. 

Both men look freakishly tall compared to the boy in the middle. The three approach. George’s knights, Subpoena, Ant, Dream, and Skeppy take their place at his side. The boy smiles. “It’s an honour to meet you, your highness.” He takes a slight bow. 

George is baffled a bit by the greeting, he stammers a bit as he speaks. “P-pleasure to meet you too…” 

George searches for a name before realizing he doesn’t know the title of the boy. The boy chuckles a bit upon seeing George’s puzzled expression, he holds out his hand. “My name is Toby, the royal advisor of King Eret, but please. Call me Tubbo.” 

“Royal advisor?” Sapnap pipes up. 

George clenches his teeth, he sometimes wishes the man would just learn to hold his tongue. “You don’t look to be any older than ten.” 

The comment ends with a swift elbow jab from Ant to Sapnap’s rib cage, causing the man to groan a bit in pain. Tubbo doesn’t seem to take offence to the comment, smiles with his response. “Yeah, I get that a lot. I’m actually seventeen,” 

George’s intuitions were correct. “Which I know, I know it’s quite young for such a position. However, I can assure you that I am more than fit for the job.” 

Tubbo brings a hand up to tap his brow, right between where his eyes sit. “My third eye comes in handy.” 

George furrows his eyebrows a bit. “Did he just say ‘his third eye?’” He whispers to Dream.

“Must be one of those spiritualists, but I’m not here to judge.” Dream mutters back. 

George nods slightly. “Anyway, gentlemen. We best not keep the king waiting if you will follow me.” 

Tubbo waves a hand, gesturing for George and his men to follow. The group walks, making their way into the castle. It’s grand and spacious on the inside. Small gold engravings mark everything in sight. The stairs are a beautiful mahogany, the carpet a rich royal purple. It’s all so elegant. Continuing down a hallway, Tubbo shares tiny tidbits of information about the royal family and the history of the building. It’s glorious. Eventually, the crew comes to stop in front of two large, and heavy looking doors. They stand tall, towering over everyone. Tubbo turns around. “Right in here is the king. I’m just gonna head in to ask if he’s ready for you yet. Stay put.” 

One of the knights grabs hold of a golden door knocker, pulling the door back just enough for Tubbo to slip in. Upon closing it, a booming echo rings through the castle and cuts straight through George’s heart. The nerves come back, he feels his hands begin to sweat again. Before his vision can cloud from stress, George feels a finger touch his pinky. He looks up, It’s Dream, he still looks straight ahead, at attention. George looks down, Dream’s index finger is gently wrapped around one of George’s pinkies. It’s not noticeable to anyone else in the hall but it’s just enough to bring George’s blood pressure back down. 

He remembers what Dream told him, that no matter what comes his way, he had Dream at his side. George feels like he could take on the world so long as he had Dream beside him. He takes a deep breath, getting ready to take on whatever lies ahead.  
The door creaks open, Tubbo’s head popping out. “They’re ready to see you now.” 

The two knights come forward, pulling the doors open. George takes one last deep breath, Dream’s finger leaves George but he does lean over to whisper. “You’ve got this.” 

George takes a step, moving into the throne room. The room is just as brilliant as the rest of the castle. With high ceilings and large windows, allowing sunlight to flood in, it’s a sight to behold. George looks ahead, there in their golden throne sits the king of Euphoria. Their face is stern and cold. Their skin looks icy cold to the touch. Their eyes are obscured by a pair of shades. A golden crown sits upon their head, the jewels being a reflection of the colours of the rainbow. They wear a red cape that falls over their shoulders gracefully.

George feels his heart beating wildly out of his chest but manages to keep a calm and collected appearance. He reaches the foot of the throne, all the knights take a knee to bow and so does George, keeping his head low, waiting to be called upon to stand. A low rumbling chuckle is heard. “Oh please, there’s no need to bow to me, King George.” 

The words don’t cut as cold as George expected, no. Rather, they sound soft, caring, it’s bewildering to the young king. George stands, looking the other king head-on. He smiles sweetly, the sternness and coldness in his stance melts away. “The rest of you may rise.” Eret commands. 

Each of the men before Eret rise to their feet. George takes the time to notice those standing beside the king. Three people stand. Two knights stand at attention on either side of the throne. The one to Eret’s right is a woman, she’s short. Her hair is a long light brown. Two sheep’s ears pop out from either side of her head. Her face, while at the moment, stone cold. Still holds gentleness. 

To Eret's left is a man, average in height, his hair is a golden blonde. He wears what looks to be a golden chain around his neck, stands tall, his eyes carry no emotion. 

Standing just in front of the throne but not obscuring the king is a young man. He’s average in height. His hair is a light brown with hints of white scattered throughout. He has a pair of fluffy fox ears upon his head and a fox tail creeping in from behind. He holds a scroll in his hands. Eret swings a leg over his over and props one of his elbows upon the armrest of the throne. He taps a finger along his chin. “So, you’re, King George of L’manburg?” 

George nods, swallowing a building lump in the back of his throat. “That I am.” He says.

Eret chuckles once more, heartfelt. “No need to be so proper my boy, I don’t bite.” 

George is left perplexed, he didn’t expect such warmness from the rival kingdom’s king. To be frank, he half expected the man to order to have his head chopped off. George clears his throat as well as his mind. “Right, of course… You did ask for my appearance as soon as it was convenient for me, correct?” 

Eret nods. “That I did, why do you ask?” 

“Well,” 

George twiddles his thumbs. “There was no clear explanation in your letter as to exactly why you needed to see me so desperately, I was wondering if you could give me an answer.” 

Eret smiles, adjusting his posture in his throne. “Well, I thought it’d be good to meet the new king, you know? Size up the competition.” 

George’s throat tightens and shoulders tense. Eret, upon seeing George’s sudden tenseness backs off, reaching a hand out to calm him. “I’m kidding, but for real. I did want to meet the new king of my kingdom’s rivalling kingdom.” 

George’s stomach drops, thinking about the history of the two kingdoms. He remembers all the times his father would complain about King Eret and the way they ran things, or when his parents first cut off trade with the kingdom. George speaks in a heavy tone. “Oh… Right.”

Eret pouts a bit, he moves to stand up, making his way down from the throne. He makes his way towards George. “Hey, listen to me. I hold no ill will against you, I was hoping I could help you actually.” 

George raises an eyebrow. “Really?” 

Eret nods. “Just because your father and mother did me wrong does not mean you will also. New king, new leadership. I just wanted to get familiar with the new king of one of the biggest kingdoms in the land. I was also hoping I could give you some advice.” 

“Advice?” George asks.

Eret smiles. “Yes, you’re quite new to all of this whole. King thing. I was figuring you could get a few tips from someone more experienced.”  
George stands a gap, he truly did not expect this visit to go the way it’s going. Eret tilts his head to the side. “Is that alright?” He asks.

George snaps back to reality. He nods slowly, trying to make sense of everything. “Ye-yeah, sounds good.” 

Eret smiles sweetly. “Sounds fantastic, now if you and your men will just follow me this way.” 

Eret makes his way past, moving to the throne room’s exit. George still can’t wrap his head around what just happened, his mind buzzes with questions but for the time being, he pushes them down and swallows and remaining nerves, making his way out of the room.


	14. Are You Being Honest With Yourself?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sapnap time! Woot Woot! I love writing Sapnap's parts in this story so you lovely folks get a whole chapter of just him and Dream.

Sapnap stands outside, mingling with the rest of the knights. He and the rest of George’s knights and Eret’s court followed the two for a while until Eret requested some time alone with George. Admittedly, everyone (especially Dream) at first was hesitant about leaving George with a complete stranger, a stranger who was often considered an enemy. However, George reassured them that he’d be alright. So, Sapnap, Skeppy, and Ant all left. Leaving only Dream behind. 

Now, they stand near the stables of Eret’s castle, on the grass but underneath the shadow being cast by the large castle walls. “So,” Sapnap says.

He points his finger between the two knights standing in front of him, the two knights that stood by Tubbo earlier to be exact. “You’re Sir Sam, and you’re Sir Ranboo?” 

The two men nod. “And you’re Sir Sapnap, Sir Skeppy, and Sir Ant?” The man with the green hair, Sam, asks.

Sapnap nods, showing a toothy grin. The man standing beside Sam, Ranboo, scratches at his head. “Those are… Interesting names.” He says in the most polite manner he can. 

Sapnap laughs at this, pushing back his long, black hair out of his eyes. “I mean, they aren’t our actual names. They’re just nice little nicknames we’ve given each other over the years. Almost everyone in King George’s royal court has one. Well, other than the king himself.” 

Ranboo raises an eyebrow. “Really?” 

Sapnap nods. “Yeah, it wasn’t always like that though. Only been that way since King George came into power, he’s a lot laxer than his parents ever were. Dude isn’t as much into the formalities and stuff.” 

Ant takes a step forward, adding to Sapnap’s words in an effort to defend his king's honour. “That isn’t to say he’s informal or sloppy, he just lets us have a little more fun than the late king and queen did.” 

“I see.” Sam hums.

“Oh, hey Dream!” Skeppy exclaims. 

Everyone’s eyes turn to where the man points. Coming out of one of the arched doorways is none other than the man Skeppy called for, Dream. A warm smile meets Sapnap’s face. He walks over to his friend, giving him a firm pat on the back. “Hey bud, whatcha doin’ over here? I thought you were supposed to be hanging with King George and King Eret?” 

Dream sighs a bit. “He told me to get lost, so I did. Wanted some time alone with King Eret.” 

Sapnap reads his friend’s body language. He seems out of sorts, a small frown meets the long-haired man’s mouth. “Hmm, I see. Did ya wanna go for a stroll?” 

“Pardon?” Dream asks. 

“Just a quick little walk around here, that is if we're allowed to.” 

Sapnap looks to both Ranboo and Sam. The two tall men exchange a look before Sam turns back and shrugs. “Sure, I don’t see why not. Just don’t go wandering too far.” 

Sapnap gives the man a thumbs-up. He looks back up at Dream, throwing an arm over his shoulder. “Come on, what do ya say? We rarely have the chance to talk anymore, just me and you.” 

Dream looks back down at his friend, contemplating for a moment or so but ultimately, he gives in. With shoulders dropped and with a massive sigh, Dream responds. “Alright, sure. Why not?” 

Sapnap shoots an arm up in victory. “Sick!” 

He turns to look at Skeppy and Ant. “One of you guys just give us a holler when we need to come back, ok? We won’t tread too far off.” 

Skeppy gives the two a thumbs-up while Ant simply nods. With that, Dream and Sapnap walk-off, towards the fields up ahead. The land is beautiful and well kept, royal horses graze upon the grass. Trees are scattered about, the sun shines down just perfectly enough to cast this glow unto everything. Once the two are out of ear-shot of anyone nearby, Dream asks. “So, why did you want to take a walk?” 

“Aww, come on Dreamy, can’t a friend just want to take a nice, casual stroll with his best bud?” 

“Yeah, I guess but it’s just kinda out of the blue is all.” 

All Sapnap does is hum, looking around the open field. His eyes land on one of the many dark oak trees. “You wanna sit down over there?” 

Dream looks to where his friend is pointing. “Sure.” 

The two make their way over, sitting underneath the tall, sturdy tree. Sapnap lets his hands rest gently behind his head. “Do you remember that guy from El Rapids, the cute one?” 

Dream raises an eyebrow. “Karl?” 

Sapnap snaps his fingers in response. “Yeah, him. Guess what I got from him?” 

Dream responds, knowingly. “What?” 

A child-like grin spreads across the man’s face. “His mailing address.” 

Dream tries to show enthusiasm, even though he was there when George handed off the slip of paper to him. “Oh really?” 

Sapnap leans back a bit. “Yeah, I guess you could say I’m quite the looker.” 

“Pfft, yeah whatever.” 

Sapnap immediately sits up, offended by the comment. “What do you mean whatever? I was able to get the attention of a government official from a neighboring country. That’s more than you could ever manage.” 

Dream laughs a bit, relaxing against the bark of the tree. “I could get as many chicks as I wanted if I tried.” 

“Or dudes.” Sapnap teases. 

At first, Dream chuckles a bit at the comment but soon falls into complete silence. It’s uncomfortable, neither Sapnap nor Dream says a word. Eventually, a hand lands on Dream’s shoulder. Dream turns his head, looking at his friend. Sapnap’s eyes carry worry. “Hey, you alright?” 

Dream lets out a heavy sigh, sinking further into the grassy floor. “No, not really.” 

“You wanna talk about it?” 

Dream lets out a heavy sigh. “Sure, why not?” 

Sapnap removes his hand, looking at his friend, ready to listen attentively. “Alrighty then, tell me what’s on your mind.” 

Dream takes a deep breath, preparing in his mind for what he’s about to say. “I’ve just...I’ve just been thinking about a lot of stuff recently.” 

“Like what?” Sapnap inquires. 

“Like…” Dream searches for the right words to say. “I don’t know... “

Sapnap smiles a bit, lightly hitting his friend’s side to lighten the mood. “Like George?” 

Dream chuckles a bit, tapping his fingers to the ground. “I know you meant that as a joke, but yeah… That’s kinda what I’ve been thinking about.” 

“Really?” 

Dream nods, feeling heat rising to his cheeks. A comforting hand comes back to rest on his shoulder. “Well, lay it on me. What about his royalness has got your mind all a buzz?” 

Dream traces his thoughts, thinking back to all the moments he spent with the king. The time when he broke down in tears, the times spent between the two of them in the orchard. The times when he panicked and he was there to calm him down. All of the vulnerable moments between him where he was the only one to bear witness to it. It was pure, it was intimate, it made him feel whole. Dream lets a shaky breath out. “I guess I just feel bad.” 

Sapnap raises an eyebrow. “How come?” 

Dream traces circles into the grass, mind still wandering. “Geor-King George has always been so open and vulnerable with me, I’ve seen him at his worst and at his best. Yet... “

He looks over at his friend. “I’ve given him nothing. He’s been such an open book with me but I can’t even bare to show him my face. I feel bad…” 

A silence falls between the two of them. Sapnap raises a finger to his chin, tapping on it in wonder. He hums a bit. “Hmm, I don’t think that’s it.” 

Dream stares at his friend, puzzled. “What?” 

Sapnap nods. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s really what’s bothering you.” 

“How can you know? You’re not inside my brain.” 

“I know, but I’m your best friend. I know shit about you that you don’t even know about yourself.” 

Dream grumbles a bit, crossing his arms. “Alrighty then, what do you know about me that I don’t know about myself?” 

Sapnap turns his body fully to look at his friend. A caring and warm smile meet his cheeks. “I don’t think you’re being completely honest with yourself.” 

“How so?” 

Sapnap ponders for a bit longer like he’s trying to figure the best way to get across what he wants to say. “I’m not saying what you’re telling me is wrong. However, I don’t think that is the root of the problem.” 

“What’s the root of the problem then?” 

The long-haired man shrugs. “Don’t know, I’m not a psychic. You’ve gotta figure it out for yourself.” 

“Sapnap! Dream!” A voice calls out. 

The two men look over to who’s speaking, it’s Skeppy. His hands cupped around his mouth and waving to get their attention. Sapnap hollers back. “We’ll be over in a minute.” 

Sapnap moves to stand up, dusting his armour off. He reaches a hand out towards his friend. “I don’t know what the root of the problem is but I’m sure if you search for it, you’ll find it. And once you find it, you can address it which will make you feel a lot better.” 

“You think so?” Dream asks, taking hold of Sapnap’s hand.

He pulls his friend up. “I know so,” 

Swinging an arm under his armpit and resting a hand on Dream’s back, the two friends walk back over to the rest of the group. “Since when did you become the monk of wisdom?” Dream jokingly asks. 

Sapnap lets out a gut-wrenching belly laugh. “A good monk never tells his secrets.” 

Dream wheezes at the comment as he and his best friend walk back to the group.


	15. What it Means to Be King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place right after chapter 13, just so you guys don't get confused.

George did not expect his visit with Eret to be going the way it was. For someone who considered his kingdom the enemy, Eret was being awfully kind to him and George still couldn’t wrap his head around why. Eret and their men as well as George and his men traveled along the many winding hallways of the castle, Eret engaging in spouts and bits of small talk every now and again. Eventually, the crew reaches a large balcony that overlooked the entire kingdom. Eret stops in his tracks turning back to his guards and advisor. “Do you mind if I and King George spend some time alone?” 

“Alone?” Tubbo echos.

Eret nods. “Yes, have a bit of a heart-to-heart with him.” 

George looks up at the man, puzzled. “Sir Puffy and Sir Punz can just wait outside, the rest of you may be dismissed.” 

Tubbo nods, shooing away both Sir Ranboo and Sir Sam while following right behind them. George looks up at the king and then back at his men, they all look bewildered and unsure of what to do. “Did you want your knights to stick around? Cause it’s quite alright if-” 

George cuts Eret off. “No, no, it’s fine. Sir Sapnap, Skeppy, and Ant. You are free to go.” 

“Go where your Highness?” Ant inquires.

“You can just follow Tubbo and the others, stay with them for a bit,” Eret interjects. 

The knights nod, taking their leave. Now, it’s only Dream left. He speaks up. “And where am I to go, your majesty?” 

George looks around, scanning the balcony, his eyes dart to one of the pillars making the archway. He points to it. “Over there, I suppose.” 

Dream nods, taking his place. Eret smiles brightly, clapping his hands together. “Now, with that out of the way. If you will be so kind as to follow me.” 

Eret leads the way out into the balcony and George follows. The two reach the edge, Eret leans against the golden railing, staring out at his glorious country. George takes his place beside the king but keeps a short distance. He crosses his arms and stands uneasy. He looks out, this is the first time since George has been here that he really got a look at the kingdom of Euphoria. A small gasp leaves his lips, causing Eret to giggle. “Beautiful isn’t it?” 

George stares out. Beyond the castle walls, George can see a thriving and flourishing kingdom. Tall buildings with people mingling and bustling about. Further out, there are lush farm fields nearly ready to be harvested. A forest lies just beyond the fields, almost acting like a gate for the city. With the sun shone high in the sky, it casts its brilliant glow onto everything. Eret is correct, it is truly nothing short of beautiful. “Y-yeah, it is…” George replies. 

Eret lets out a satisfied hum, continuing to look back out. The two gentlemen stand there for a minute or so, not saying a word. George turns his head, looking at the other king. He still is left puzzled by the king’s actions. He coughs into his hand, alerting Eret slightly. “I hate to pry,” George begins.

“But why exactly did you bring me out here?” 

Eret straightens himself out. “I just wanted some time alone with the king of my opposing kingdom, is there anything wrong with that?” 

George scratches his neck. “Well, no. I suppose not, but it just... “ 

He searches for the words. “How do I put this?” 

George looks Eret directly in the eyes. “It’s odd.” 

“Odd?” 

George nods. “Yeah… I mean, as lovely as it is that you want to give me advice and all that… We’re like… Enemies, aren’t we?” 

Eret shifts, propping an elbow up on the railing. “What do you mean?” 

“Well, I mean… Last I remember, my parents were not on the best of terms with you.” 

“That’s true,” Eret admits. 

“But are you your parents?” 

The more Eret presses, the more George begins to feel embarrassed, his palms begin to sweat. “Well, no but I’m their son. Their offspring, I’d figure you’d hold some resentment towards me.” 

Eret laughs a bit, it’s not mockingly but George still feels a bit embarrassed by it, afraid he might have said something stupid. “Oh don’t be ridiculous King George,” Eret says. 

“How petty of me would it be if I held grudges against you for something you didn’t do?” 

“Yeah, but I just thought-” 

Eret raises a finger, silencing the younger king. A warm smile meets Eret’s lips, it’s comforting. “I might not have agreed with your parents' way of ruling but that doesn’t mean you’re them and it certainly doesn’t mean you’re going to rule like them.” 

Eret leans back up against the railing. George continues to look confused. He places his hands on the railing, slowly. “So, you don’t hate me?” George asks.

Eret shakes his head. “Of course not. Also, I never hated your parents. We just didn’t agree with each other when it came to the way trade was distributed and how we ran things,” 

The king takes a deep breath, soaking in the fresh air. “No, I never hated your parents. In fact, when your mother and father passed, I was quite upset. Especially considering who-” 

George intervenes. “Yeah, I know…” 

The two fall silent once again while George reminisces about his past. After a while, George looks over his shoulder, back at his knight. “Sir Dream,” He calls.

The knight stands at attention, turning his head to look at his king. “Yes, your Highness?” 

“You are dismissed, you may go join the others,” George says.

The knight stands uneasy and uncertain. “Are you sure, your Highness?” 

George nods slightly, Dream still does not move. George takes a deep breath, sighing. He mouths the word “please?” With it, Dream gives in, letting his shoulders drop and giving a slight nod before taking his leave. Once Dream is out of eye-sight, Eret speaks up. “What was that for?” 

George turns back around. “Just more privacy I suppose, plus. You started talking about my parents which aren’t something I like to talk about with many others around.” 

George does feel a bit of guilt just letting Dream go like that, however, he feels he needs the extra privacy. Eret nods understandingly. “You know, that’s why I called for you.”

George raises an eyebrow, relaxing against the railing. “What do you mean?” 

Eret looks back at him. “Well, with your parents' untimely death and you being the only child they had. The whole kingship got thrown on you kind of at once, I felt bad.” 

“You felt bad for your kingdom’s enemy?” George says with a smile. 

Eret laughs. “Enemy is quite a strong word. On negative terms, yes, but I never considered our kingdoms enemies.” 

George nods. “I know how it feels to have such an important and demanding job thrown on you all at once. I mean, my parents passed away suddenly as well.” Eret says.

George’s eyes shoot wide. “They did?” 

Eret nods, continuing to look out into the great blue yonder. “Died of an illness when I was sixteen, I was the only one eligible for the throne, so I had to take it.” 

“At sixteen?” 

Eret looks over at George who’s mouth is now agape. They nod, a pain-filled smile spread across their face. George gasps a bit, shocked by this new information. “Golly, I’m so sorry for your loss… That must have been scary.” 

Eret sighs, taking in the moments of silence in between speaking to reflect. “It was terrifying,” Eret admits. 

“But I’m sure it’s no less scary for you.” 

George sighs, reaching his hands up to grab his crown. He pulls it down, looking at his reflection in the gold and jewels. “Yeah, it is… “ 

George thinks back to all the moments of panic he had. The times where he was certain his knees would give out and he’d never be able to walk again. Times where he felt like screaming out to his mother because everything felt like too much. The days where he didn’t think he was cut out for such a job and it’d be better in the hands of someone, anyone other than him. He takes a shaky, deep breath. A strong, and confident hand lands on George’s shoulder. Eret stands above him, smiling sincerely. “I’m sure you will make a fantastic king though.” 

“How can you be so sure?” George asks. 

“Because, you’re already making strides to fix what’s been broken, to do what your parents never dared.”

George twirls the crown in his hands. “And what is that?” 

“You put the people before yourself.” 

George looks up at Eret, hoping he will elaborate on what he said without his asking, he does. “I heard about what you did with Quackity and the members of El Rapids, it was certainly the right thing to do.” 

George’s eyes shoot wide once more as he tilts his head in confusion. “You heard about that? But, I only made that deal yesterday!” 

Eret chuckles a bit, letting his hand drop from George’s shoulder. “Word travels quickly when you’re a king.”

The king looks out at the land, smiling to himself. “It was the selling point for me that gave me confidence you have what it takes to be a king.”

George places the crown back upon his head, then leans against the balcony railing, he inquires. “Really?” 

Eret looks back at him, nodding slightly. “Yes. I’ll admit, I had my suspicions when word got out about you being anointed as king but hearing that you wanted to reopen trade between your kingdom and surrounding areas was reassuring.” 

Eret grips the railing tighter. “Your parents weren’t so quick to help out the people of L’manburg and certainly not other surrounding kingdoms or countries. They cared too much for their political position. I mean, they didn’t even want to give President Quackity and his cabinet the liberty to separate from L’manburg until they threatened war.”

The negative words spoken about George’s parents stings a bit but he says nothing, mostly because he knows Eret isn’t wrong. “They cared so much about political rank and power that they forgot about the very people in their own kingdom which, forgive me for saying this, but that ultimately was their downfall.” 

George wants to bite back, he wants to defend his parents' honour and what they stood for but sadly, you can not defend someone who is blatantly in the wrong. George hunches his shoulders forward in defeat. “Yeah…” He sighs.

George kicks his heel against the marble flooring, a looming pit of second-hand guilt fills his stomach. “Hey,” Eret says calmly. 

George looks up, the man still has the same kind and gentle expression on his face. “But that’s why I wanted to help you, you’ve got potential and I’d hate for you to have to wander in the dark like I had to when I first became king.” 

“Seriously?” George asks.

Eret nods. “Just because I’m a king doesn’t mean I’m a monster.” 

George chuckles a bit at their words. “So,” Eret begins.

“You’re trying to rebuild the relationships between your kingdom and the surrounding areas, no?” 

George nods his head. “Mhm, and I’ve got a good start already but I’m not all too sure where to go from here.” 

Eret hums a bit, pondering for a minute or so to think. His face lights up as soon as a thought springs to life. “You know what I always do when wanting to build a relationship between my kingdom and other places?” 

George leans in, listening attentively. “What?” 

“I host a festivity of sorts, like a ball or a banquet.” 

“Does that really work?” 

Eret nods. “People always love a good festival or ball, plus it’s a good way to get to know other people and form bonds.” 

George thinks on the idea for a minute, scratching at his chin. He thinks of the amount of planning something like Eret is suggesting would take. He thinks of what Bad would say and how much money something like that would cost. “Well, what do you think?” Eret asks.

George looks back up at the king and gives a friendly smile. “It’s a good proposition, I’ll definitely think about it, thank you for the help.” 

Eret smiles kindly. “Anytime, King George.” 

The two exchange a warm and friendly handshake along with kind smiles. George has a tingling sensation that a beautiful friendship has just been born. “Now, we best head back down to the main floor. Sun should set soon and I’d hate for you and your men to travel at night.” Eret says.

George looks out once more. The sun is not nearly as high in the sky as it once was before. He nods. “Sounds good.” 

The two make their way back, heading towards the hall. As soon as they pass Sir Puffy and Sir Punz, they follow behind, making sure to stick closely to Eret’s side. George looks back up at Eret once more. “Hey, King Eret?” 

“Yes?” 

“Seriously, thanks for everything.” 

Eret smiles sweetly, giving George a firm pat on the back. “No problem, King George. Anytime.”


	16. The Road Home

George stands in front of his carriage, knights by his side and Eret standing straight ahead. They have a warm glow to him. At their side is the advisor, Tubbo. Behind stands his knights. “Well, I wish you well,” Eret says.

George smiles brightly while nodding. “As do I.” 

“Have a safe trip back.” Eret wishes. 

“We will.” 

One of George’s knights, Skeppy opens the carriage door, making way for the king to enter. “Well, farewell,” George says.

“Farewell,” Eret replies. 

George takes a step up, moving into the carriage and taking his seat, Dream follows behind him. George gives the king a friendly wave goodbye before Skeppy closes the door. Within a couple of minutes, the carriage and crew set out. George gives a couple more solidarity waves goodbye before bringing his hands to rest comfortably in his lap. As the carriage moves out, George stares out the window, taking one last look at the beautiful kingdom of Euphoria. “So, how was your conversation with King Eret?” Dream pipes up.

George looks back, smiling a bit. “It was good, got a lot of insight from them.” 

“Oh really?” Dream asks, inquiring to hear more. 

George nods. “Guess my worrying was all for nothing, huh?” 

Dream reaches a hand forward, placing it gently on George’s knee. “See, what I tell you?” 

A warm smile meets his lips and he hums and glee. Dream too lets a smile meet his mouth as he removes his hand. “So, what did King Eret tell you? Or is it a secretive thing?” 

George chuckles a bit before replying. “He just gave me general advice about how to run the kingdom, very genuine guy.” 

Dream props an elbow up on the wall and rests his head into his knuckles. He basks in the presence of his king, how at ease he looks. It’s nice to see him relaxed for a change. George continues to ramble about the many tips and all the advice Eret bestowed upon him. Dream simply listens, melting with every word spilling from his mouth. He feels unwary with the emotions building in his chest but he decides to deal with them later. Suddenly, George stops speaking, he smirks. “Dream, you’re staring.” 

The knight snaps out of it, quickly pulling his head away from his hand. He feels his face flush upon being caught. “How would you know that? You can’t see my face.” 

George chuckles. “I see right through you, you may be able to hide your feelings from others, but not me.” 

A gentle smile meets George’s eyes. Dream feels a tightness in his ribcage. Whether from being flustered or fear, he doesn’t know. Dream tries to play off the aggressive blush fighting at his cheeks. “Oh yeah?” He retorts. 

George leans back, swinging a leg over his other and crossing his arms. “Mhm, I can read you like a book.” 

Dream nods, a thought enters his brain. It’s risky and honestly, he doesn’t know if he should follow through with it. However, Dream is an impulsive prick. Always doing before he thinks. He reaches a hand forward, placing it on George’s knee. The king immediately jumps out of his skin. He gently taps his knee, a series of goosebumps run up George’s spine. Dream lowers his voice into a rumble. “See, I don’t think that’s true.” 

George stays speechless, his face is a bright red, Dream finds it almost endearing. “I think it’s actually quite the opposite.” 

George swallows hard, trying to regain himself. “Oh yeah, what makes you think that?” 

Dream chuckles, leaning in closer. His mind screams at him to stop, to pull back but his body seems to take a life of its own. “Oh come on,” He begins.

“I clearly know you better. I know exactly how to make you feel.” 

George feels his throat grow dry. “F-feel?” 

Dream nods. “You’re trembling.” 

“I’m not trembling.”

Dream lases his words with sweetness, almost cooing. “Yes you are, look at you. You’re bright red.” 

“That’s 'cause you're flirting with me.” George croaks.

Dream smiles, taking one of George’s hands in his own. He intertwines their fingers, lifting them up to the sunlight that shines through the carriage window. George’s hand fits comfortably in Dream’s, like two pieces of jigsaw puzzle connecting, made for each other. George’s brain has completely shut down, his face is comically red. Dream knows he shouldn’t, but he likes having George under his thumb, controlling the way he’s feeling. Not in a condescending or maniacal way, but just… Actually, Dream doesn’t know why he likes teasing George so much. He never really put thought into it, he just does and now was certainly not the time to be contemplating such emotions. 

Dream hums. “Indeed I am, what are you gonna do about it?” 

George swallows once more, gaining the sensibility to reply. “Well, I am the king, I could just order you to stop.” 

“That’s true,” 

Dream inches a bit closer, just so he can place a finger to the center of George’s chest. “But I don’t think you will, you don’t want that.” 

“And what is it that I want, Dream?” 

Dream trails his finger up to George’s chest, letting it rest on the man’s Adam’s apple. He can feel the tenseness in George’s throat. Dream opens his mouth to speak, his words falling out of his mouth without a thought to what he’s going to say next. “You want this, someone to tease you, keep you on an emotional edge. You don’t like it when you’re in control. You hate being in control, you want this,” 

His last words trail into a hot whisper while bringing his finger to gently tip George’s head up by his chin. “You need this.” 

George closes his eyes, soaking in the knight’s words, a shiver runs down his spine. The words, the physical contact, it’s all too overwhelming, all too much especially from someone he considers a friend. George pulls back, drawing his hand back and dropping his head to the floor. Blush still fights aggressively at his face. His heart beats out of its chest, knotting itself with the collection of frantic butterflies in George’s stomach. 

Dream too backs off, feeling not only ridiculous but bad for what just went down. His voice dips back into one of concern. “Was that too much?” He asks.

There’s no verbal response from George, just a simple head nod. A wave of guilt washes over Dream, he bounces his leg a bit. “I’m so sorry about that, I shouldn’t hav-” 

George interrupts. “It’s…It’s fine let’s just… Forget this ever happened, ok?” 

Dream nods, feeling his stomach sink. “Yeah, for sure.” 

Both boys sit in uncomfortable silence for some time after that, trying to ignore what happened while simultaneously trying to process what just went down. Dream kicks himself for doing everything he did. He was flirty with George, no doubt about that but it was never this flirty, never so straightforward, never so personal. Dream’s heartstrings pluck away, playing a melody he isn’t familiar with but at the same time, he doesn’t despise.   
Dream tries to shake the interaction and likewise his beating heart by changing the subject. “So...What’s the next step?” 

George looks up from the ground. “The next step?” He inquires.

Dream fidgets with his fingers. “Yeah, like what’s gonna happen once we get back to L’manburg?” 

George leans back, tapping his heel to the metal carriage floor. “Well, I’ll need to finalize the agreement with El Rapids, draft up a contract, and have it signed,” 

Dream nods. “Sounds good.” 

“I was also thinking of doing something else,” George adds. 

Dream raises an eyebrow, his curiosity peaked. “Oh, what did you have in mind.” 

“A banquet.” 

“A banquet?” Dream echos. 

George nods slightly, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck. “Eret gave the suggestion that I should host a banquet between me and other leaders across the land. Said it’d be a good way to build connections and have people get to know what kind of a king I am.” 

A smile meets Dream’s lips. “You know, that’s not half bad.” 

George hums in agreement. “It’ll take a couple months to plan out fully but I think it’ll be worth it.” 

“Sounds great.” Dream says.

The rest of the trip is quiet, only occasional small talk between the two boys as they reach home. Both silently agree to put the less than platonic interaction aside and not to speak on it. However, there’s still a divide, a silent hanging in the air that this is the start of something new, whether for better or for worse, neither man is all too sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy hell, look at me. I finally broke my writer's block!!!
> 
> Also thank you guys so much for the support on my story, it means a lot to me :)


	17. Twilight Thief

Dream walks down one of the many long halls of the castle. This is the only time in the day where the knight doesn’t need to be glued to the king’s hip. He makes his way to the knight’s common room. It’s simply a room in the castle that all the knights go to when they’re on break. It’s a cozy room, benches and high windows. Dream steps through the archway leading to the common room. A smile is brought to his face upon seeing those inside. 

Sapnap, Ant, Skeppy, and a man named Ponk sit inside. They chatter among themselves, sitting on the wooden benches. Sapnap raises his head, a smile brought to his face upon seeing his friend. He waves, inviting him in. “Hey Dream, on break?” 

Dream grins from underneath his helmet, making his way over to the raven-haired man. “Yep, thought I'd chill with you guys for a minute.” 

Dream sits down beside his friend. Sapnap sits to Dream’s right and to his left is Ponk. Ponk in some ways is like Dream, he rarely shows his face. He wears a cloth, red and orange, camouflage mask that covers all but his eyes. His skin is dark in tone quite like his eyes. He hasn’t been a knight for too long, however, his sense of humour and desire to protect the kingdom makes him a lovely addition to the knights in George’s court. 

Across from Dream, on the bench opposite of the room is both Ant and Skeppy. Sapnap playfully bumps Dream’s shoulder with his elbow. “You know, it’s funny that you just showed up. We were talking about our significant others before you showed up.” 

Dream raises an eyebrow. “Oh really, like who?” 

“Well, me and Karl. Ant and his boyfriend, Red. Skeppy and Bad,” 

Skeppy groans deeply which only causes Sapnap to chuckle. “And now that you’re here, we can talk about you and King George.” 

Dream rolls his eyes and "tsks" under his breath. “You know, I find it kind of funny that everyone other than me seems only fancy men. This room is just a committee for people who like dick.” Ponk adds.

To this comment, Ant rolls his eyes, unamused. Skeppy shoots a hand up to cover his face and sinks further into the floor. “I don’t like Bad! He’s just my friend!” 

“Yeah, ok. Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Sapnap pipes up. 

He then turns to look at Ponk. “Also, dude. I don’t just like guys. I like anyone who’ll tolerate me for more than five minutes.” 

“Seems like slim pickings.” Dream jokes.

Sapnap laughs, hitting his friend playfully in the arm. “Oh fuck you!” 

Bits and bursts of laughter ring throughout the room for a bit until Ant speaks up. “Look, as much as I’d love to sit here and talk about men. I think we’d outta change the subject.” 

“Whatcha wanna talk about then?” Dream asks.

A small yet slightly condescending smile meets the cat boy’s lips. He leans back against the wall and crosses his arms. “So, I've been thinking a lot about that guy who robbed the castle awhile back. You know who he reminds me of?” 

Dream’s voice dips into that of annoyance. “Yeah, the Twilight Thief, you’ve said that before.” 

“Well gee, no need to be rude about it.” Ant fires back. 

“What about Twilight Thief?” Ponk asks.

“Well, I’m sure you’ve heard of him, right?” Ant asks.

Ponk looks up in ponder, tapping a finger to his chin. “I mean, I’ve heard about him and stuff. He stole shit, right?” 

“Yeah, well that’s typically the job of a thief.” Dream replies dryly. 

“Hey Dream,” Ant says. 

Dream lifts his head to look at the man. Ant continues. “How about you explain the story?” 

Dream feels his throat tighten. He seriously doesn't like the look Ant is giving him. It’s cold and stares into the pit of his soul like he knows something the rest don’t. He swallows hard, preparing to speak. “Well, he was a notorious thief about four years back, stole weapons, gold, food, everything, but he left as soon as his life was threatened and no one’s seen him since.” 

Ant nods, humming satisfactorily. “Correct, seems like this new guy is mimicking him quite close. Keeping a low profile, faceless, stealing from the castle. Seems like an admirer.” 

Dream lets out a silent chuckle to himself. “Not really a guy worth admiring.” 

“I’d agree,” Ant says while leaning forward. 

“You know what’s also quite interesting, Dream?” 

Ant’s eyes burn through his suit of armour, making him feel exposed, naked. Dream’s palms begin to clam as he replies. “What?” 

Ant takes a self-indulgent laugh before continuing. “About a year or so after that guy left, you showed up. Faceless, low profile, and not even a real name to call yourself by.” 

Dream’s heart skips a beat, his eyes shoot wide as he tries to conjure up a response. Thankfully, Sapnap comes to his aid. “Hey, are you accusing Dream of being a criminal?”

“I’m not accusing anyone, I’m just pointing out things as I see them.” Ant snaps back. 

Skeppy lifts his head, looking at the feline man. “Ant, I’m not gonna lie. That sounded pretty accusatory.” 

“Ok, maybe it was, but all I’m saying is it’s slightly fishy.” 

“Ant...Come on, you know that’s quite the reach. Do you seriously think they’d let a criminal into the royal court? Let alone let one of them become King George’s appointed knight?” Ponk chimes in. 

Ant leans back a bit, angered lines wrinkle his forehead. “Can’t be sure of anything these days.” 

Sapnap bolts up, putting a hand to Dream’s chest plate as if to try and protect him from danger. “Dream is not a fucking criminal! What the hell has your boyfriend been putting in your food? It’s causing you to go stupid in the head.” 

There’s fiery anger laced into every word spat out of Sapnap’s mouth. Dream looks up at him. He’s a dog, unwillingly loyal to those he cares about. No matter who they may be or what they’ve done. Dream turns his eyes to look at Ant. He leans against the stone wall of the common room, he looks irked with how the conversation has been panning out. “Look, I never said he was a criminal-”

“Sounds like you're implying it though.” 

Ant rolls his bright blue eyes. “Look, Sapnap. As admirable as it is to watch you defend your friend. I don’t think he needs you speaking on behalf of him, he’s more than capable of defending himself.” 

Ant leans to the right, looking past Sapnap. “That is unless you’ve got something you wanna admit to the rest of us.” 

All eyes turn to Dream. His throat tightens and grows dry. However, he can show no fear. He braces himself, preparing to speak, sitting tall. “Listen, I don’t know what your deal is with blaming me for stuff I didn’t do as of late. Mark my words though,” 

Dream moves to stand up. “I’m not a criminal. I would never turn on the king or his country, you misjudge my character entirely,” 

He takes a step towards the feline. “It’s quite the stretch to say that I and that,” 

His teeth nash. “Barbarian have any sort of correlation. You’re grasping at straws Ant.” 

After finishing speaking, Dream pulls out to check his pocket watch. The time reads ten minutes till three. “Now, if you will excuse me, gentlemen, I need to get back to doing my job. It was fun chatting with you all.” 

With that, Dream takes his leave, walking out of the common room and back down the hall he came. He looks over his shoulder every couple minutes until he’s sure nobody is staring at him anymore. He takes a big sigh of relief, letting his shoulders drop. His beats at a million miles per second, he feels like he’s just run a marathon. 

The way Ant stares at him, looks at him, with that accusation in his eyes, like he knows something throws Dream off. He isn’t sure why the man is so insistent on him being a thief who disappeared years ago but he tries to not let the thoughts plague his mind too much. He just hopes that nobody else starts to get suspicious.


	18. Physical & Emotional Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OOOOOOO!! Angst

Dream stumbles down the hall. A hand grasped around his upper arm. He groans out of pain. Just a few minutes previous Dream had been sparring with his good friend, Sapnap. However, like idiots they are. They opted to not use the normal wooden training swords, instead, they used actual metal swords. Naively thinking nothing would go wrong. Well, things did go wrong. Now, there is a gaping flesh wound on Dream’s upper arm. It stings like citrus squeezed into a papercut. However, due to Dream’s inability to admit that he needs help, he plays it off, pretending it’s not quite as bad as it actually is. 

He doesn’t feel quite ready to face the king though, he’s only wearing a black muscle shirt, brown trousers, and that circular smiley mask the king seems to like so much. He knows he should clean up before meeting his royal highness, but he doesn’t. 

He makes his way towards King George’s room, he knows that George will instantly freak out upon seeing the blood dripping from his hand but that’s an issue he’ll deal with once he gets to it, which should be any minute now. Dream approaches the large wooden door and opens it slowly. He steps inside while closing the door behind him. Dream clears his throat, trying to ground himself before speaking. “Hello, sire.” 

George stands across the room, staring out the large bedroom window. He looks over his shoulder, a sweet smile is met with his face. “Hello, Dream, how are-” 

George stops himself. His eyes trail down to scan Dream’s body. His gaze lands on Dream’s bloodied hand. His eyes shoot wide and Dream prepares for the onslaught of concerned filled comments. “Oh my God!” George gasps as he makes his way over to the injured man. 

“What happened to you Dream?” 

George reaches a hand out, gently grabbing Dream’s bloodied hand. Dream doesn’t fight back against George’s action, he simply turns his head away. “Just a bit of an accident.” Dream replies.

“A bit? Dream, you’re bleeding all over the place!” 

The knight knew George would behave his way, get worried, freak out on his behalf. He knows he could’ve just gone down to the medical wing of the castle before coming here and fixed himself up but he decided against it for whatever reason. Maybe it was because he wanted George to see him like this, maybe it was because he liked to see him care for him. George grabs hold of Dream’s hand, leading him out of the bedroom. “Woah! Where are we going?” Dream asks. 

George marches down the hall in a hurry, not daring to look back. “The medical wing.” 

“What for? George, I’m fine-” 

The king stops in his tracks and turns around. He brings a finger up to touch the drawn on smile of Dream’s mask, hushing him. Dream takes note of George’s eyes at this moment. They’re filled with frustration yet also calming worry and concern. “No, you’re not fine. You’re bleeding really badly.” 

“Oh come on, it’s not that bad. I’ll be fine-”

George pushes his finger harder to the mask, Dream immediately shuts his mouth. “Dream, stop arguing with me on this. I’m getting you help,” 

He removes his finger. “King’s orders is that understood.” 

Dream swallows hard while nodding silently. A small satisfactory smile meets the king's lips before turning around. George continues to lead the two down a series of many staircases and halls, turning in and out of corridors and passing many doors until eventually, they reach one oak door labeled “Medical Wing.” Without a word, George pushes the door open, there’s nobody inside which isn’t surprising since it’s nearly nightfall. 

George looks around the many cabinets and shelves. After scanning for a minute or so, he points to one of the counters. “You can sit over there.” 

Dream looks to where the king points. It’s a basic marble, white counter. He laughs a bit. “George-” 

“Sit,” George demands. 

Dream closes his mouth and complies. He lets go of the smaller’s hand and makes his way over to the countertop. He hoists himself up, letting his legs dangle. Dream didn’t know George was capable of commanding such force, however, he is a king so it makes sense to have such a trait.

The knight looks at George scouring the many cupboards and shelves, looking for what he needs. It’s endearing to watch him run about. Dream tilts his head to the side fondly, he’s glad he has this mask on cause if he didn’t. George would surely see the blush that has consumed his face. Eventually, George finds what he’s looking for. “Ah-ha!” He exclaims. 

A jar of what seems to be rubbing alcohol next to a bundle of bandages sits on a higher shelf. George reaches up, trying to grab it but to no avail. He then tries to raise himself up on his tiptoes and using his left arm, pushing up on the counter to try and grab it. His attempts still remain fruitless. Dream can’t help but wheeze at the situation. George huffs, looking over his shoulder with a pout. “Is this funny to you?” 

Dream tries to calm his laughter. “Yeah, it kinda is.” 

George groans, lowering himself to the ground. He turns around, crossing his arms and scowling at the knight. “Fine then, how about you go and grab it yourself? You were the one who got themself hurt after all.” 

Dream raises an eyebrow. “You sure?”

“Yes, be my guest.” 

Dream smiles, propelling himself off the counter with a swing. He approaches the king, standing only a few feet away. From this angel, both can see how truly large the comparison in size is between them. George looks up at the knight, his face formed into a pout. Dream struggles to hold back another laugh, from here George looks like a toddler. He looks up, the alcohol and bandages sit very much within the larger’s reach. 

He places a hand to the counter, just right of where George stands. Dream can feel the king tense up beneath him. He leans forward, reaching for the medical supplies. He can feel George’s hitched breath against the skin on his neck. It’s warm but somehow leaves Dream with goosebumps running up his spine. Dream grabs it bringing the items down slowly. He looks down at George, his face flush and still. He looks like a statue. Dream lightly pushes the supplies into George’s chest which promptly snaps him out of his trance. “Here you go.” Dream says in a low hum. 

George grabs the supplies. “Thanks.” He mumbles. 

Dream makes his way back to sit on the counter, George follows behind, coming to stand just between his legs. George places the supplies just beside Dream’s hand. “You sure you wanna do this? Cause I’m more than capable.” 

George reaches to grab a cotton pad. He flicks the jar open, pouring a small bit onto the pad. “I’m quite sure. Just because I’m a king doesn’t mean I don’t know how to clean a wound.” 

Dream shugs, reaching his arm out for George. He grabs hold of it gently. The gash is upon Dream’s bicep. From here George can appreciate just how toned his knight is. He never really noticed since Dream was almost always wearing armour of some kind. George takes a silent deep breath, placing the cotton pad to Dream’s cut. The knight winces only a bit, it stings but not too much. George continues to dab at the wound until it stops bleeding. Once he’s done, he reaches to grab the fresh bundle of bandages. As he unravels it, he asks. “So, what exactly happened?” 

Dream tilts his head up and away from George, scratching at the base of his neck with his other hand. “Oh, well you see. Sapnap and I were sparring and things just got a little too intense.” 

George raises an eyebrow as he cuts the bandage to the length he wants. “But those training swords are made of wood, they shouldn’t be able to draw blood.”   
“Yeah, I know...The thing is though...We didn’t use the training swords.” 

“Then what did you use?” 

Dream meets George’s gaze, he swallows back at his nerves and prepares for the lecture he’s about to endure. “We used actual swords.” 

“You what?!” George shouts. 

He looks the same way his mother used to look whenever Dream got himself in trouble. He winces, trying to play off the situation with nervous laughter. “Yeah…” 

George places the bandages back on the counter and places his hands on either side of Dream, looking up at him sternly. Dream can feel his heartbeat race. George’s forehead wrinkles and his eyes crinkle shut, it’s much too late at night for this. “Dream! You idiot!” 

“I knew you’d say that.” 

George slams his fists to the table. “Well of course I would, you were being reckless.” 

Dream is taken back a bit by the way George is acting, while it isn’t unlike him to worry it is still a lot to take in. Dream reaches his hands up cautiously. “Woah Georgie, it was just a playful fight that got a tad bit carried away, no need to freak out. I’ll be ok.” 

George huffs while bringing his fingers up to rub the temples of his head. “I know, I know but that doesn’t mean you weren’t being stupid.” 

Dream hums a bit, he finds George’s concern to be heartwarming. George reaches back over to grab the bandages again. He lifts Dream arm slightly and begins to wrap his bicep in the white cloth. Dream leans forward a bit, propping his other arm on his knee and resting his head in his hand. “So, seems that you like taking care of me. What are you, my mother.” 

George rolls his eyes. “Oh shut up, don’t make this weirder than it has to be.” 

Dream chuckles silently, leaning out of his hand. George continues to wrap his arm up until it’s finished. Once he’s done, he steps back a bit, like he’s a painter admiring their work. Dream looks at his arm, twisting it around in his hand. “Not bad.” He says. 

George smiles sweetly, looking at his friend. The more he stares though the more his face fleets from a smile into a frown. Dream looks away from his arm to stare at George. “Hey, what’s wrong?” 

George brings his arms up to hug himself. “It’s nothing.” He mummers. 

Dream leans forward. “No, it’s clearly not nothing, something is wrong.”

George continues to fold in on himself, looking away from Dream. The knight reaches out, placing his hands on George’s shoulder, turning to face him. “Hey, look at me.” He says quietly. 

George slowly looks up as Dream lets his hands drop. “What wrong?” 

George raises and drops his shoulders, sighing heavily. “It’s just...I worry about you ok?” 

“You worry about me?” 

George nods, letting his hands drop. “I just want to keep you safe.” 

Dream leans forward a bit, tilting his head to the side in confusion. “Keep me safe? George, you know my job is-” 

George grabs hold of both of Dream’s forearms. “I know, I know but it’s just…” 

He lets out a shuddering sigh. “I still don’t like to see you get hurt.” 

Dream almost lets out an audible “aww.” He feels his face going soft, turning into a doe-eyed expression. God, he’s glad George can’t see it. “George, that’s super sweet of you but you don’t need to worry about me. I didn’t get this job because I’m weak.” 

George tightens his grip.”I know that and I’m not doubting your ability, I just,”

George throws his head back as if to try and fight back tears. “I don’t wanna lose you.” 

Dream’s eyes grow wide, mostly out of confusion. “Lose me? George, it’s a small gash. I’m not gonna die.” 

“Well duh Dream, I know that but it reminds me of what could happen. How you could die and I can’t afford to lose anyone else in my life that I care about.” 

Dream’s heart skips a beat. Someone in his life he cares about. I mean, Dream always knew that George cared for him, he’s his friend. However, hearing the actual words spoken out of his mouth feels different. It sets his heart aflame, like a million firecrackers exploding at once in an awestricken and sporadic display, setting his emotions all a burst. Dream can’t manage to say much more than. “You care about me?” 

It’s a dumb question and to it, George laughs with a groan. “Of course I do, you’re my best friend. Maybe it’s not the most professional thing to become friends with those in positions of power than you but still,” 

George tilts his head back down to look at Dream, he has a weak smile on his face. “You’re my friend and I don’t know what I’d do without you.” 

The room goes silent as the two men stare at each other, basking in the comfort they bring one another. The two feel secure, they feel at peace. Oh, how the two wish to never leave this peace they’ve created. George takes another deep breath, lessening his grip on Dream’s forearm to slide them up to his lower bicep. “When-when my parents died, I felt so lost and alone. I lost the two most important people in my life. And yeah, they weren’t perfect, they fucked up a lot of things,”

George chokes back a few tears. “But they were still my parents and I loved them. It hasn’t been easy trying to fix all they’ve broken but having you with me,” 

George looks up at Dream, the corners of his eyes are misty with tears, he’s just barely holding it all together. “Well, it’s made it just a little bit more manageable.” 

“Oh George,” Dream breaths reaching his hands up to grab George’s.

“You’ve done so much for me. You’ve helped me understand me, you’ve helped me push past my fears, you’ve been a shoulder to cry on, you’ve stepped far above your pay grade, expecting nothing back. I’m gonna be honest, I wouldn’t be half the man I am without you.” 

“George…” Dream coos. 

“Which is why I worry,” 

George moves his hands to intertwine with Dream’s, squeezing them tightly as he does so. “I worry about you and your well being,” 

He looks down at their hands, so perfect in each other’s grasp. “I know it’s your job to protect me but I still feel the need to protect you, to be your knight, shield you from danger.” 

Dream swears he gasps, the words taste like rich honey slipping from George’s tongue and Dream never wants to stop tasting it. George brings Dream’s hands up to rest against his chest. There’s an unsureness in George’s face, his forehead wrinkles again. “That’s why I worry so much when small things happen, cause I can’t risk losing you.” 

The tears start to form more, slipping slowly from George’s hazel brown eyes. “You’re too precious to lose, too sacred. If I ever lost you I-I,” 

George let’s go of one of Dream’s hands, wiping away at the stream of tears rolling down his cheeks. “I’d fall apart.” 

Without a second thought to it, Dream reaches his hands up, cupping either side of George’s face and bringing his forehead to touch the top of his mask, where his forehead would be. “Oh George,” He whispers. 

“Don’t go falling apart over me.” 

George chuckles lightly through tears. “I can’t help it, you’re worth too much to me.” 

Dream smiles before letting his hands drop from George’s face and slowly pulling away. George dries his face with his hands. The two exchange a quiet chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. “How about we head to bed, it’s quite late?” Dream says, jumping down from the counter. 

George sniffles a bit, trying to get rid of the tears tracks on his face. “Yeah, we probably should.” 

Dream smiles, walking towards the medical wing’s exit. “Sounds great, and thank you.” 

“Thank you for what?” George asks.

Dream looks over his shoulder. “Well, a lot of things actually but for now. Thanks for bandaging me up,” He takes a breath. “And thanks for being such a good friend.”

George smiles, making his way towards the knight. “Anytime.” 

The two leave the medical wing, quietly talking to each other the whole way back to their rooms until the need to depart, and while it is night. Dream isn’t sure he’ll ever be able to sleep again after that interaction.


	19. Secrets Uncovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sapnap and Dream chill in Dream's room, talking about the time they first met and the time when Sapnap found out about Dream's biggest secret.
> 
> (Context, there's a flashback in this chapter. Anything in italics is apart of the flashback)

Dream lays on his bed, staring aimlessly at the ceiling above. He brings a hand up to run through his sandy blonde locks. He feels wiped, especially considering that he got no sleep last night. Normally, at this time of day Dream would get in some early morning training while George has his morning bathing. Today though, he doesn't feel like moving. 

Dream's mind rases to last night. All the things George told him, how he was special, how he was precious in his sight. The way George looked at him, the way his eyes bore into him, it felt different. Not sexual, not platonic, but rather the limbo between. It's all too much to process, Dream groans heavily, sinking further into his bedsheets. Suddenly, he hears his door open. Dream panics, he doesn't have his helmet or mask on. In a desperate attempt to obscure his face, Dream grabs one of his pillows, shoving his face into it. There's a brief pause of silence as the knight waits for the person at his doorway to speak. "...Dude, it's just me." 

The voice is deathly familiar, he couldn't forget it if he tried. Dream lowers the pillow, taking a deep sigh of relief. "Oh, it's just you Sapnap." 

At the doorway, only a step into his room is none other than Dream's good friend, Sapnap. He's dressed in casual castle attire. A basic white tunic and black trousers with black leather boots. He still has his signature white bandana upon his head too. The man walks further into the room, closing the door behind him. "Could you maybe give me a heads up before barging into my room? Like, knock or something. You scared me half to death." 

"Oh, quit complaining, you're fine. Jesus, you and your identity." Sapnap takes a seat at the edge of Dream's bed. 

Dream scoffs. "You know why my identity means so much to me." 

Sapnap shrugs his shoulders, planting his hands behind him. "Ok, fair enough but still. You're so dramatic." 

Dream simply just rolls his eyes and sits up. "Hey, by the way. What are you doing here?" 

Sapnap looks over at his friend. "What, can't a guy just chill with their best bro?" 

"Well, of course, but you usually don't come into my room. Actually, how did you even know I'd be here?" 

Sapnap turns his head towards his friend, then he replies with. "Oh, simple. You weren't at the training ground like you always are. And when you aren't at the training grounds you're usually here, feeling sorry for yourself." 

Dream rolls his eyes, picking up a pillow and hitting his friend over the head with it. A couple of feathers go flying while Sapnap laughs loudly. "Very funny," Dream groans, flopping back down on his mattress. 

"Oh, it really is though," Sapanp says.

Dream sighs once again, melting further into his sheets. He looks drained, not only emotionally but mentally. Sapnap sticks his lip out a bit while placing a hand on Dream's knee. "What's got you so down in the dumps?" 

Dream looks up, trying to erase the look of fatigue and endless pondering off his face. He knows he's not tricking Sapnap into thinking he's feeling any other way than he is but it's still worth the effort. "Oh, it's nothing really. Jus' been thinking about a lot of stuff as of late. Renemissing if you will." 

Sapnap hums, taking his hand off the man's knee. "I see," 

The two fall into a comfortable silence for a minute or so. Sapnap scans the room. Right in front of him, against the stone wall is an armour stand. On it sits all of Dream's knightly wear. His boots, chest plate, arm sleeves, and most importantly, his helmet. The raven-haired man's mind trails back, remembering the days before his friend was knighted as King George's appointed knight. "Hey Dream," He begins. 

Dream looks up at his friend. "Yeah?" 

"Do you remember when I first saw your face?" 

Dream groans, sitting up in his bed. "Oh gods, do I ever. One of the most nerve-wrecking days of my life." 

"Yeah, sure was. You nearly shit yourself when I saw you." Sapnap jokes. 

The two share a hardly, wheezing laugh as Sapnap's mind trails further and further back, recalling that blessedly-cursed day. 

_It was a bright and sunny Summer day, about a year prior to the events taking place in this story. The humid Summer's heat was causing a dreadful heatwave to spread through the castle. People were collapsed over furniture, pigs turning into live bacon in the sun's rays. The water troughs in the horse barn nearly evaporated upon being poured into the metal. Everything was dreadful, no place in the castle offered any escape from the heat._

_Sapnap, wandered aimlessly through the halls of the castle. He was still in almost full armour because, for some God-forsaken reason, the general of Sapnap's legion thought it best to do training in this weather. Something to do with "toughening them up." He felt like he was about to pass out. He felt like a rotisserie chicken being cooked over a campfire._

_Sapnap stumbled down a set of stairs, heading towards the "Knights Wing." It was an area located in the castle that offered areas for knights to change in and out of their armour, clean themselves up, and also had some rooms for those who lived at the castle. It was located in the basement of the building. The further Sapnap travelled down the winding stone staircase, the more coolness met his skin. The man took a deep breath, savouring the sweet release of the heat._

_The reached the bottom. At this moment, the wing was rather quiet. For you see, Sapnap got off slightly early due to his exceptional work at training. While he may way not have liked his general, at that moment he could've kissed her. He turned a corner, keeping a hand pressed to the cool stone wall as he walks towards his changing area. The only thing in the world he wanted at this moment was to get out of his stuffy hunk of metal._

_He turned one more corner, entering one of the many change rooms. He staggered in, making his way to his chest that is full of his everyday clothing. Before he can reach it though, someone caught his eye. A man stood across the room. His bareback exposed. His skin lined with many scars, most of them stretching across his shoulder blades. His skin is fair but has a light tan. He's toned as all hell, quite the looker for any passersby lucky enough to catch a glimce. His hair is a dark sandy blonde, it's tied back into a small ponytail that touches the base of his neck. He wears a pair of black trousers and his hands looked to be his shirt._

_Sapnap raises an eyebrow, impressed by the absolute hottie standing only a couple feet away but confused because he'd never seen this man before. Sapnap had sworn he knew every knight in L'manburg, he was quite sociable but this man was registering blank in the knight's head. Before he can inquire of the indivisual's name and title, the mystery man turns around._

_His face is just as pretty as his backside. His face is boxy but still defined. His eyes, a brilliant emerald green. A couple of scars line his jaw and face but they don't take away from his beauty. His nose is a classical roman shape. Strands of hair dangle over his eyes. At first, the man's face is blank but quickly turns in pure panic and terror. He turns around quickly while throwing the shirt on. "Holy shit! What the fuck are you doing back so early Sapnap?" He cussed_

_Sapnap's inquiry is peaked. His furrows into confusion. "Sapnap? How do you know-"_

_Suddenly, it clicks. Not from the appearance of the man but purely his voice. It's noticeable, too noticeable. His eyes shoot wide. "Dream?"_

_The man groaned, bending down to scavage through his chest. He doesn't dare look back at Sapnap. "I didn't think anyone would be back here so soon, I thought I had time." Dream whispered_

_Sapnap took a cautious step forward. "Well, General Minx let me off early cause of my performance," He tilted his head worriedly. "Are you ok?"_

_Dream continued to look frantically through his belonging, still not meeting his friend's gaze. "No, I'm not ok. You just-you just saw me!"_

_"Well, yeah. I see you every day." Sapnap joked, trying to lighten the mood._

_No positive response was met by Dream though. He just tilted his head back slightly and sighed loudly. "That's not what I mean dipshit! I mean...You saw me, my face."_

_Sapnap drew out his words, emphasizing his general confusion over the whole situation. "Yes...And?"_

_"And?" Dream copied_

_He turned around for a moment, stopping what he was doing. His face too was confused but more so with a look of, "how could you not know?" Sapanp started to feel sweat form again on his brow, this time not from the heat but from tenseness. He wasn't used to being able to read his friend's face and honestly, it was stress-inducing now that he could. Dream collected himself, letting out a single breathy laugh. "Wait...You don't know who I am?"_

_Sapnap's body stayed stiff, he shook his head. "No...Should I?"_

_Dream blinked once or twice before letting out the biggest sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god."_

_Dream moved to stand, rubbing the back of his neck. Sapnap still stayed put in one place, unsure of what to do or where to go. Dream continued speaking, laughing a bit with his words. "I uh, I thought you might've but seeing as you don't. Guess I freaked out for nothing."_

_"Right..."_

_Sapnap looked his friend up and down, trying to see if there's any part of him that strikes familiar. Nothing. "So...You a celebrity or something and I just don't know it?"_

_Dream caught on his breath, stifling back a laugh. "Um, kinda I guess. All depends on what you define as a 'celebrity' though."  
_

_Sapnap humed, still looking at Dream from every which angle, trying to place the pieces together in his mind. "Well, I think a celebrity is someone who's famous." He said._

_"Well then, I guess I am."_

_Sapnap crossed his arms, tapping a foot to the floor. "Wait...Hold on famous for what?"_

_Dream stopped, his face turns into a frown. He swallowed back something. He scratched his head. "Ah, it really ain't all that important."_

_Now, Sapnap's intrigue was peaked. "Oh, come on Dream! You can't just tell me you're famous and leaving me hanging."_

_"Sapnap, I'd rather-"_

_The shorter knight took a step forward, interrupting. "Please?"_

_"I really shouldn't."_

_"Oh, come on. You don't trust your best bud?"_

_Dream didn't respond. Sapnap brings a hand down to land on his friend's shoulder. He looks at him in the eyes. Something about Dream's gaze was vulnerable. Like, he's new to the concept of keeping eye-contact. "I promise you I won't tell."_

_Dream's voice wavered with uncertainty. "No matter what I tell you?"_

_Sapnap nodded. "I'd never turn my back on you pal."_

_Dream pondered for a moment, staying silent while he weighed everything out. He sighed. "Fine,"_

_Sapnap jumped for joy internally, like a gitty toddler. Dream walks away, making his way back over to his chest. He bends down by it, looking through the items inside. "How long till the others get back?" Dream asked._

_"Um, like twenty minutes I'd say, why?"_

_"No reason, just askin'."_

_Dream rummaged around for a moment or so more till he found what he was looking for. He stood up, an old and tattered poster in his hands, rolled up. He tossed it to Sapnap who caught it. Sapnap looked at the poster, confused."What's-"_

_Dream interrupted. "Open it up and read it out loud."_

_"Ok,"_

_Sapnap complied. He carefully unrolled the scroll and held it out in front of him. In the center of the poster was a drawn picture with a striking resemblance to Dream, all but the nose was correct. He looked to the top, reading the words aloud. "Wanted, the Twi-"_

_He stopped. Sapnap's eyes grew wide in something akin to shock and confusion. He looked towards Dream, opening his mouth to speak. "Dre-"_

_Dream stopped him. He paced around the room, twiddling his thumbs nervously. "Just keep reading, please?"_

_Sapnap closed his mouth, continuing. "Wanted, the 'Twilight Theif.' Or otherwise known as Clay. Needed alive. Reward four-hundred gold. Man could be armed and dangerous. If you have any information regarding this man, please contact the Royal Guard."_

_Sapnap lowered the poster. "Dream,"_

_"Look, I know, I know how this looks."_

_Sapnap approached his friend, placing the scroll down on a bench. "You don't mean to tell me that you're-"_

_Dream nodded. "Y-yeah, I am..."_

_The room fell deathly quiet. The stillness echoing off the solid cobblestone walls. A chill rang through the air. Dream hugged himself tightly, not daring to look up from the ground. Dream's voiced wavered, almost as if he were about to cry. "So...I guess this means you're gonna turn me in?"_

_"What?"_

_Sapanp sprung forward, placing both his hands on Dream's shoulders. "No, I'd never."_

_Dream looked up slowly. "Really?"_

_"Yes, really. I just wanna know why."_

_"Why what?"_

_"Why..." Sapnap stepped back. "Well, I guess a lot of things actually, but to start. Why'd you do it and more importantly, why are you back here?"_

_Dream took a deep breath, relaxing his body a bit. "Well, those are loaded questions aren't they?"_

_He cleared his throat while moving to sit down on a bench. Sapanp took a seat beside him, listening intensively. "Well, to answer your second question. I know how things look, but I swear I'm not here to loot more shit. Those days are behind me."_

_"That's good,"_

_"To answer your first question,"_

_Dream took a deep breath, thinking back on his life. "Well, I guess I was trying to make a statement."_

_Sapnap rose an eyebrow. "A statement?"_

_Dream looked at his friend. "Yeah, I grew up rather poor. I was mad, mad at the world and mostly mad at the royal family."_

_"Why would you be mad at the royal family?"_

_Dream laughed a bit. "Your family is pretty rich so I don't expect you to know this but, most of L'manburg lives in extreme poverty."_

_"Seriously?"_

_Dream nodded. "It's pretty horrific. I'd see young children fighting over stale bread with each other. I've seen people so skinny and malnourished, they can barely stand."_

_Sapnap's mouth went agape."Oh my gods," He breathed._

_"Yeah, it was bad. And so, I got mad. I just couldn't understand why the king and queen weren't doing anything to stop this. Why I had to go to bed on an empty stomach while those that lived in the castle gorged on all the food their hearts desired."_

_"So you started stealing?" Sapnap asked._

_Dream nodded. "Exactly, but not from the townsfolk. That'd do nothing, I wanted to make a statement. Show me disgust with the royal family. That's why I stole from them. I stole everything from gold coins, food, to even horses."_

_"How'd you get away for it for so long?"_

_Dream leaned back a bit. "Well, I sure you know some about the Twilight Theif. I hid under the cover of night, that and I always had a mask covering my face. Nobody knew, well...Nobody knew except for my brother."_

_"You have a brother?"_

_Dream nodded once again, chuckling breathly. A hint of resentment could be found in his words. "His name is Noah, or as everyone in the family calls him. Foolish."_

_Sapnap snorted at the nickname. "Foolish?"_

_Dream joined in on the laughter. "Hey! As if it's any more ridiculous than 'Sapnap.'"_

_"Ok, but that name has a ring to it. Foolish though, that's just strange."_

_Dream hummed. "Mhm, maybe it is...But that's what we call him. Our mother gave him that name, which sounds worse than it actually is."_

_"How so?"_

_Dream sat up straight, thinking back to his childhood. A small smile met his lips. "Well, my mom always said that people who are foolish aren't exactly stupid. Some of the most foolish people on the planet are the smartest."_

_Sapnap snorted once again. "What?"_

_"Hey! Don't interrupt me, I'm getting to it."_ _Dream continued speaking. "She told us. Foolish people aren't people lacking in smarts or intelligence. They're just people who have the naiveness to cling to something and never let go. Even when everyone else calls them stupid or says it's not worth it, they still hold on. Never giving up and never letting go. Sometimes that's for the worst but sometimes, it's the right thing to do."_

_"And that's why your mother gave your brother the nickname Foolish?"_

_Dream nodded. "Yeah, he always believed that anyone could change for the better, he always naively clung to the idea that even the worst of sinners could become saints...Including me,"_

_"Sounds like an interesting kid. So does your mom."_

_Dream let out a "tsk." "Yeah, she raised up pretty good. Especially for a single mother,"_  
  


_Sapnap sat back a bit. "Single mother?"_

_Dream met his friend's eyes. Dream's eyes look soft yet pained with memories. "Yeah, dad wasn't ever in the picture so she had to raise us alone. She fought tooth and nail to give us the best life possible. Once I turned sixteen and Foolish turned seventeen though she had to leave,"_

_"Why's that?" Sapnap asked._

_Dream took a deep breath, hugging himself again. "She found a knight internship program in Euphoria. She wanted to get one in L'manburg but there were no slaughts open so she did what any mother would in search of trying to provide enough money for her kids. She packed her bags, said goodbye, and left for Euphoria."_

_"Wow...Did she know about your-"_

_"My stealing habits? Gods no, I'd break her poor heart," Dream paused for a moment, thinking over his words. "Well, actually. She probably does now. Doubt she'd even want to look me in the eyes anymore."_

_Sapnap tilted his head. "What makes you think she knows?"_

_Dream took a shaky breath before speaking. "Well, how do you think anyone got a picture of my face in the first place?"_

_Sapnap looked back down at the wanted poster laid right beside him. "My brother ratted me out."_

_Sapnap shot his head back up. "No way! Seriously?"_

_Dream took a heaving sigh. "Yeah, he never liked my stealing habits, tried to stop me but I never did. He stayed quiet for a while though, that is until he ratted me out."_

_Dream squeezed himself tighter. "One day I came back to the house through the backway and saw him inside with two guards. One of them had a bag of gold with the money promissed inside. He told them everything."_

_"Did they catch you?"_

_"Pfft, no. I was hiding just outside the door when I heard everything go down. After that, I grabbed a couple apples, a sword from our shed, a horse and ran off. Hoping to never be seen again, and never come back here."_

_Dream let go of himself, slouching over in defeat. "But clearly I am back here."_

_Sapnap kicked a bit at the ground, raising an eyebrow while asking his next question. "Yeah, you are. So why exactly did you come back?"_

_Dream scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I don't completely know why to be honest. Maybe it's to make amends or something. I swore I'd never come back here, and certainly not **working** here. But when I heard that there was a new king, I guess I thought things might be different. So, I came back. It'd been a year since I left so I thought that maybe everyone would've forgotten by then. However, one thing lead to another and somehow I found myself becoming a knight, working up the ranks, and now." Dream took a deep breath. "Now, I'm about to be appointed as King George's knight." _

_A warm smile met Sapnap's lips. He poked at Dream's cheek playfully. "Aww, does someone have a little crush on King Georgie?"_

_Dream groned with a smile, standing up. "No, I do not have a crush on the king. I've never even met him."_

_Sapnap also stood up, crossing his arms. "Mhm, whatever. Sounds like fan behaviour to me."_

_The two chuckled for a minute or so until the sound of a loud crash rang through the room. The two freeze. "What was that?" Dream asked._

_Sapnap walked towards the sound, around the corner were a couple boxes, toppled over. Nobody in sight though. Sapnap walked back over to his friend. "Must've just been a cat or something, we're good."_

_Dream took a sigh of relief. "Just to be sure, you're not going to tell anyone about this, right?"_

_"Of course not, you're my best friend Dream. I'd never snitch on you. There is just one thing I don't get though."_

_"What is it?"_

_Sapnap gestured to Dream's whole face. "Why do you still hide your face?"_

_Dream furrowed his eyebrows. "Um, maybe because if anyone finds what I look like, they'll lock me away."_

_"Yeah, but I didn't recognize you as the thief so what's to say others will?"_

_Dream laughed a bit. "Yeah, well. **You** may not put two-and-two together but those higher up and those that have been here longer most likely will. I'm just trying to be safe, ya know?" _

_"That's fair enough, I guess."_

_Dream looked back down at the ground again, unsure of himself. "Hey," Sapnap said._

_Dream looked up at his friend. "I've got your back, ok? Nobody's ever gonna find out about this, ok?"_

_Dream smiles a bit. "Thanks, Sapnap."_

_"Anytime, Dream."_

The memory begins to fade from view as we head back to the present. Two boys lay on a queen-sized mattress, laughing and talking of memories from the past. They giggle and joke around like a couple of brothers. Maybe it's foolish of Sapnap to hold onto such a secret, to defend a criminal. And maybe it's foolish of Dream to work in a position of power too close to someone who could call for his arrest and execution at a moment's notice if he ever knew. Maybe it's foolish of them both to keep playing this dangerous game of hide-and-seek. 

However, what is life without a bit of foolery? What is life without some ignorance? It's the fools that keep the world spinning and keep the world spinning these boys will. As they lay on the bed, joking without a care in the world. Fools, certainly but they'd never want to be anything but. 


	20. Preparations

George walks around the castle like a mad dog, rambling things off while the royal party planner, Hbomb as they call him, jots them down. “We’ll need invitations, banners, probably new silverware. I’m gonna need the royal tailor to make a new outfit for me, so I should contact her to get things drafted up. And the food, what kind of food should we have? Steak, pork roast?” 

“Um, your highness. Can you slow down just a bit, I’m having trouble getting this all down.” Hbomb politely interrupts. 

George looks to the man, he’s viciously writing things down onto the parchment in his hands. He nods. “Sure, take your time.” 

George, his knight Dream, and Hbomb continue to walk down the hall, waiting for the party planner to finish writing all of the king’s ideas. George twiddles his thumbs, keeping his gaze to the floor. He’s on edge and Dream can tell. “You ok?” He asks.

George looks up, trying to conjure up a believable smile. “Just a little anxious is all. I’ve never had to plan such a big event.” 

Dream nods understandably. “Well, that’s why we’ve got Hbomb, I’m sure he’ll be able to help you out.” 

The bearded man waves his quill in the air with a smile. “Sure will. It’s exciting really, I haven’t planned an event since,” 

The man ponders for a minute or so, counting back the years in his mind. “Well, I guess since your parents were on the throne but even then, they weren’t the partying kind of people. I swore I’d be out of a job! This is the first big event I've had to help plan in some time.”  
George smiles, it's comforting to know others have his back. To know he doesn’t have to face things alone like he once thought he did. “Well, what do you think we should do?” 

Hbomb taps the feathered part of his quill to his head, thinking for a minute or so. “Well, for the venue I was thinking of doing a masquerade ball.”  
George cocks his head. “A masquerade ball?” 

The man looks up at the king, nodding. “Yeah, they’re fun. Not to mention fun to plan. We could even get the knights in on it.” 

Dream immediately shakes his head at the idea. George takes note. “What’s wrong, don’t like the idea?” 

“Well,” Dream begins. “It’s not that I think it’s a bad idea. I just don’t think it’d be good for me to participate in. You know, cause of the whole,”  
Dream gestures to his face. “Not showing face thing.” 

“It’s a masquerade ball, Sir Dream. Nobody would see your face anyway, you’d have a mask on.” Hbomb pipes in. 

Dream adjusts his posture to stand more upright but still stiff with unsureness. “Yeah, but those masks only cover your eyes. I’m still not keen on people seeing the lower half of my face.” 

George chimes in. “We could always just adjust the design of your mask so it covers everything.” 

“Really?” Dream asks.

George nods. “Yeah, I wouldn’t want you feeling uncomfortable.” 

Dream smiles, he knows George can’t see it but he still feels its warmth. The king then looks to Hbomb who is still jotting down things. “Would that be too much trouble? To change the design of Dream’s mask to accompany his comfort?” 

The light brown-haired looks up, meeting the king’s gaze. “Oh, yeah. It should be no trouble at all. Let me just write that down. I’ll pass it down to Niki and the others on her team.” 

Dream relaxes a bit. “So, why a masquerade? Also, why do you wanna get the knights involved? Shouldn’t we be...You know, doing our job protecting the king?” Dream says. 

“Oh, you’d still be doing that. I just thought it’d be a good way to build community. Also, it makes our kingdom more approachable, less of a threat.”  
Hbomb stops himself, realizing that he never got the ok from the king on this matter. “That is if it’s ok with the king.” 

George smiles. “It sounds fantastic.” 

Hbomb nods, looking back down at his paper. “Now, who were you planning on inviting to this event?” 

“I was thinking of the members in El Rapids’ Cabinet, also King Eret and those in their court. I’ve been working to reopen trade with both of them, so I think it’d be best to have them.” 

Hbomb nods, writing down the king’s words. “Sounds great, I’m gonna go write up the invitations. One last question though, your highness.”  
“What is it?” 

“When do you want this event to be held?” 

George thinks for a moment or so before landing on a date. “I guess the fifteenth?” 

“Fantastic,” The man finishes writing down everything. “Once I’m done with the invitations I’ll hand them off to Purpled and we’ll be all set.” 

A bright smile rings from ear-to-ear on George’s face. “Great, I trust that you will have everything in order, you may be dismissed.” 

With those orders, Hbomb takes a slight bow and takes his leave. Dream and George continue to walk down the hall, towards the archives. “Now that’s settled I need to go talk to Bad.” 

Dream quickens his pace so he’s not trailing behind. “About what?” 

George looks up at the knight. “Oh, just wanna get some advice from him.” 

“Advice from Bad? I thought I replaced him.” 

George chuckles, hitting his friend in the arm playfully. “I need advice on more proper things, like presentation and stuff.” 

“Are you calling me a slob?” 

George stifles back a laugh. “ Maybe I am.” 

Dream groans heavily and rolls his eyes. “You’re insufferable.” 

“But you still like me.” 

Dream huffs with a smile. “Regrettably, yes.” 

The two continue down the hallway until they reach a large, dark oak archway. It leads into a room covered in posters, books, and bookshelves. The archives. The area is dimly lit. Everything has a warm burnt red colour to it. In the center of the room is a large, holographic map. It hovers in the air and looks to be made of magic. On the other side of the room, looking at what seems to be an old scroll, is none other than the man George came looking for. “Bad!” George calls. 

The man looks up from the parchment, he smiles upon seeing the king. He puts the tattered scroll down on a nearby table. He then makes his way over to the two men. “King George.” He greets. 

“What brings you here?” 

“Well,” George begins, twiddling his thumbs. “I came here to ask for your advice on something.” 

Bad lets out a hearty chuckle, letting a hand rest on his hip. “Well, I am the royal advisor. It’s my job to give you advice, whatcha need?”  
“It’s about the party. I uh, I need advice on how to act.” 

Bad raises an eyebrow. “How to act?” 

George continues to twiddle his thumbs, keeping his gaze locked to the ground. “Yeah, mannerisms and such. What to say, what to do. Just,” He takes a deep, sobering breath. “Everything.” 

Bad nods understandably, moving towards the king. “That sounds reasonable, I most certainly can help with that. First though, when’s the party?” 

George looks up. “Um, the fifteenth of this month.” 

“And today is the second, which gives us.” 

Bad counts off the days on his fingers. “Just over two weeks, not a lot of time but we’ll manage.” 

Bad moves towards his large agenda which sits on a nearby table. He picks it up, alongside a quill, and flips through the pages. “So, I’d say you should come here every other day at this time. We’ll work out things, sound good, your highness?” 

George nods slowly to which Bad smiles. “Great.” He says, putting down the book. 

“Then, we best not waste any time. First things first, we must teach you to dance.” 

“Dance?” George and Dream say in unison. 

The advisor nods with a chuckle. “Dancing is quite important at events such as these. It shows class and shows that you have put thought into the event.” 

George swallows hard, turning into a tense bundle of nerves. “But, I haven’t the faintest idea on how to dance.” 

“Well, that’s what these lessons are for.” Bad reaches a hand out for the king to take. “First we start with the classic waltz.” 

George looks over his shoulder at Dream who gives no indication of how he’s feeling. George scarfs down the last of his nervousness. He takes Bad’s hand. The man gently leads the king towards him. “Good, now if you are leading the dance. Which I assume you will, you’ll need to place your hands here.” 

Bad gently brings one of George’s hands to rest gently on his hip. George almost reflexively pulls away, it’s all so foreign to him. His left hand is brought up and grips around Bad’s right while Bad’s other hand comes to rest on George’s shoulder. It feels weird to be in such a position with his royal advisor but he convinces himself it’s all for the better. 

Dream watches from afar, a new and strange sensation tugs at his heart. He feels malice towards Bad turn in his mind, but for what reason. Bad’s not doing anything wrong, he’s not hurting George yet at this moment, he wants nothing more than to pry the tall man away from the king. He grumbles under his breath, crossing his arms uncomfortably. “Good,” Bad applauds. “Now, take a step forward with your right foot.” 

George looks down, just to make sure his footing isn’t off. He takes a hesitant step forward. “Like that?” He asks. 

Bad grins and nods. “Exactly, you’re a natural, your highness.” 

A smile meets the king’s lips which turns Dream’s stomach all the more sour. He watches as the two men waltz around slowly and awkwardly for a minute or so, taking it slowly and carefully. His fury towards Bad grows even deeper the more he sees George smile, dancing with the man. It’s all too much, he simply can’t handle it. Dream steps forward, clearing his throat to get the two’s attention. “Excuse me, Bad and King George,”

The two turn around to look at the knight. Dream can feel a light blush creep up his face. “Um...Would it be too much to ask if I could try?” 

He feels so stupid asking but there’s no backing out now. George lets go of Bad, an internal sigh of relief washes over Dream. George grins and folds his arms with sass. “You want to try your hand at waltzing?” 

Dream rubs the back of his neck. “Well, I’m a bit rusty but if I’m going to attend this party too. It’d be nice to try and freshen up myself. Ya know, so I don’t make a complete ass of myself.” 

George looks to Bad then back to him. “Did you want to practice with Bad?” 

“No!” Dream blurts unexpectedly before realizing how standoff-ish the notion was.

He coughs into his hand, playing it off nonchalantly. “I mean, I’m good. I’d much prefer practicing with you.” 

The more he speaks the more ridiculous his words sound, it’s embarrassing. Dream thanks the gods once more for his helmet and how it hides his blushing face. “You know, cause uh...We both need practice and stuff…” 

The room falls dead quiet for a minute. Dream feels like he just fucked over everything he wishes he could crawl into a small hole and never emerge again. George rolls his eyes and laughs softly. He reaches a hand outward. “Ok you big dope, that’s fair enough I guess.” 

Dream relaxes his shoulders, taking George’s hand in his. George moves to his position, placing a hand on Dream’s side. Chills run up and down both men’s spines upon the touch. Dream rests a hand on George’s shoulder, the smaller man shudders under him. George swallows hard, looking up at the knight. “So, I guess I’m leading then?” He says.

“I mean, only if you’re comfortable doing so.” 

George nods then takes a slow step forward. Dream mimics his movements as they slowly waltz around the dimly lit room. It’s awkward, to say the least. Tripping over feet, bumping into each other’s chests. They look like two boys at a middle school dance. Bad watches from afar, half-amused by the situation playing out in front of him. George tries to not look up at the taller man for fear he can see the bright mess that his face. He keeps his gaze fixed to the floor, making sure his footing is correct. “You know, you’re not half bad at this.” Dream says. 

George looks up. “Really?” 

Dream softly laughs, not mockingly but more so endearing. “Yeah, dare I say you’re a natural.” 

George shoots his eyes back to the wooden flooring, averting his gaze from the man. His heart beats rapidly out of his chest, he swears if he moves any closer to Dream, he’ll hear it. For fear of becoming more flustered than he already is, George slowly lets go of Dream. “I think that’s good for today.” 

The warmth that Dream’s fingers bring drifts away, almost makes George want to curl up closer to the man but he refuses to acknowledge the thought any further. The king brings a hand up to rub the back of his neck, turning to Bad. “So… Every other day, correct?” 

Bad nods. “Yes, and don't worry, your highness, you’ll do just fine come time of the party.” 

George meekly smiles. “Thanks for everything Bad.” 

“Anytime Sire.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate this chapter so much, however, I felt the need to write it. Also, I seriously wanna get to the end of this first arc


End file.
